
Class ' C_U 

Book .^_i_ 

Copyriglitlv? 



COFIRICHT DEPOSm 



Outline Studies 

in 

Christian Doctrine 



REV. GEORGE P. PARDINGTON, B.D., PH.D. 



Author of 

The Still Small Voice, The Crisis of the Deeper 
Life, Twenty-five Wonderful Years. 



CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE PUBLISH^MG COMPANY 

692 Eighth Avenue New York City 



A<5 



^^^ 



COPYRIGHT 1 91 6. 
CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE PUB. CO. 



nCf 19 1916 
©CI.A446110 



« 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Preface 7 

Introduction 9 

Prelude . ii 

CHAPTER I. BIBLIOLOGY. 

1. Revelation 29 

2. Canonicity 33 

3. Genuineness 36 

4. Authenticity 38 

5. Divine Authority 40 

6. Inspiration 41 

7. Ultimate Authority 50 

CHAPTER II. THEOLOGY. 

Part One. The Character of God 57 

1. The Existence of God 57 

2. The Personality of God ^2. 

3. The Trinity of God 73 

4. The Attributes of God 'jy 

5. The Perfections of God 84 

6. The Names of God 86 



PAGE 

3Part Two. The Works of God 93 

1. The Decrees of God 93 

2. Creation 97 

3. Preservation loi 

4. Providence 103 

CHAPTER III. ANGELOLOGY. 

1. Good Angels 1 14 

2. Evil Angels 119 

3. Demons 121 

4. Satan 126 

CHAPTER IV. ANTHROPOLOGY. 

1. The Creation of Man 139 

2. The Essential Elements of Man 142 

3. The Moral Nature of Man 148 

4. The Image of God in Man 155 

5. The Probation of Man 164 

6. The Temptation of Man 169 

7. The Fall of Man 171 

CHAPTER V. HAMARTIALOGY. 

1. The Origin of Sin 185 

2. The Reality of Sin 186 

3. The Nature of Sin 188 

4. The Extent of Sin 196 

5. The Result of Sin 198 

6. The Penalty of Sin 202 



CHAPTER VI. CHRISTOLOGY. 

PAGE 

Part One. The Person of Christ 221 

1. The Preexistence of Christ 221 

2. The Incarnation of Christ 228 

3. The Exaltation of Christ 244 

Part Two. The Work of Christ 248 

1. Christ as Prophet 248 

2. Christ as Priest 250 

3. Christ as King 286 

CHAPTER Vn. PNEUMATOLOGY 

Part One. The Person of the Holy Spirit.. 291 

1. PersonaHty 291 

2. Deity 293 

3. Names 294 

4. Symbols 296 

Part Two. The Work of the Holy Spirit . . 301 

1. The Holy Spirit in Creation 302 

2. The Holy Spirit in Christ 303 

3. The Holy Spirit in the Scriptures 304 

4. The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Dis- 
pensations 305 

5. The Holy Spirit in the Church 308 

6. The Holy Spirit in the World 309 

7. The Holy Spirit in the Believer 310 

CHAPTER VHI. ECCLESIOLOGY 

I. The Idea of the Church 335 



PAGE 

2. The Twofold Meaning of the Church 336 

3. The Local Church 337 

4. The Organization of the Church 338 

5. The Government of the Church 340 

6. The Worship of the Early Church 341 

7. The Discipline of the Church 341 

8. The Ordinances of the Church 342 

9. The Ministry of the Church 346 

10. The Destiny of the Church 347 

CHAPTER IX. ESCHATOLOGY. 

1. The Dispensations 353 

2. The Second Coming of Christ 354 

3. The Millennium 357 

4. The Resurrection 359 

5. The Judgments 360 

6. The Closing Scenes of Time 362 



PREFACE. 

These Outline Studies comprise a synopsis of the 
Lectures on Christian Doctrine which were given in the 
Missionary Institute at Nyack during a number of years 
by the late Rev. George P. Pardington, Ph.D. 

They were designed to present only a brief summary 
for further amplification and expansion in the class- 
room. Bible School Teachers in this country and in 
foreign lands have made large use of them in type- 
written form. So helpful have they proved, not only 
to teachers, but also to other Christian workers, that a 
strong demand has been created for their publication in 
permanent form. 

In nearly every instance where authorities have been 
quoted, due credit has been given. 

In the chapter on Pneumatology, a few excerpts from 
Dr. Pardington's own works, "The Crisis of the Deeper 
Life" and "The Still Small Voice," have been added 
for the sake of more complete treatment of the subject. 

The chapter on Eschatology was compiled from the 
incomplete notes, special lectures, and fugitive writings 
of the author, in accordance with his known views. 

Walter Mason Turnbull. 



INTRODUCTION. 

It is at once a pleasing and painful service to place 
on record a word of appreciation for this volume, which 
bears the name of our beloved and lamented brother, 
George P. Pardington. 

The writer had the privilege of knowing him from his 
very boyhood, and having some part in the training of 
his mind and the shaping of his ministry. Beginning with 
the great advantage of a liberal and careful education, 
the power and usefulness of his ministry were further 
heightened by the intense earnestness and devotion of his 
heart and life. To him theology was not a cold science 
gathered from books and lectures, but sprang as a molten 
stream from his own living experience of the truths he 
believed and his Spirit-baptized study of the Scriptures 
for himself. He accepted no truths second-hand, but be- 
lieved his beliefs and proved his convictions in a vic- 
torious and deeply tested life. 

Victorious suffering was perhaps the prominent fea- 
ture of his earthly life, and it gave a touch of reality to 
all he believed and taught. 

His system of Christian doctrine, which is reproduced 
in this volume, grew out of his professional labors as a 
teacher of Bible students, ministers, and missionaries. 
Repeated from year to year and melted down in the 



furnace fire of practical class work and considerable 
criticism, these lectures came to represent at length the 
deep and settled convictions of a highly trained mind 
and a deeply consecrated spirit. The spiritual quality 
will be found predominant, and perhaps above every 
other feature, it will be recognized not so much as a 
system of theology as a system rather of Christology. 
The Christocentric point of view is always paramount. 

Perhaps the best credential of the author was the love, 
admiration, and appreciation of his large and ever-chang- 
ing classes and the glorious fruition that came back to 
him in their consecrated lives as they went forth from 
the heavenly atmosphere of his class room and his "Quiet 
Hour" to live tlie gospel he taught and to be witnesses 
for Christ and His fulness in every part of this land 
and to the uttermost part of the eartli. 

We thank God for the precious and abiding heritage 
our beloved brother has left us in this volume in which 
the Holy Spirit has enabled him to crystallize "the faith 
once for all delivered unto the saints." 

A. B. Simpson. 



PRELUDE. 



I. DEFINITION OF THEOLOGY. 

"Theology is the science of God and of the relations 
between God and the universe" (Strong). 

Theology is the ''science of things divine" (Hooker). 

1. Derivation. 

Theology comes from two Greek words, namely, 
the OS, God, and logos, speech or reason. Etymologically, 
theolog}" means a reasoned discourse or treatise about 
God. 

2. Use. 

As a term, theolog}^ has both a narrow and a broad 
use: 

a. In its narrow use, theology means the doctrine 
of God, His being and works. 

b. In its broad use, theolog}^ means the sum of 
Christian doctrines. 

Note : By the Church Fathers St. John is called "the the- 
ologian," because he treats of the inner relations of the Trinity. 
Gregory- Nazianzen was so called because he defended the deity 
of Christ against the Arians (A. D. 325-390), and since his time 
it has been the prevailing usage to employ the term theology 
in the broad sense. 



12 Outline Studies 

3. Possibility. 

According to Dr. Strong's definition, theology has 
a threefold ground, viz : 

a. "In the existence. of a God who has relations to 
the universe." 

b. "In the capacity of the human mind for know- 
ing God and certain of these relations." 

c. "In the provision of means by which God is 
brought into actual contact with the mind, or, in other 
words, in the provision of revelation." 

4. Necessity. 

The science of theology finds its necessity in these 
grounds : 

a. In the instinct of the mind for system. 
"Theology is a rational necessity. If all existing 

theological systems were destroyed today, new sys- 
tems would arise tomorrow. So inevitable is the 
operation of this law that those who most decry 
theology show, nevertheless, that they have made a 
theology for themselves, and often one sufficiently 
meager and blundering. Hostility to theology, where 
it does not originate in mistaken fears for the corrup- 
tion of God's truth or in a naturally illogical structure 
of mind, often proceeds from a license of speculation 
which cannot brook the restraints of a complete Scrip- 
tural system" (Strong). 

b. In the importance of systematic truth to the 
development of Christian character. 



Prelude 13 

Theology should be dignified, not disparaged. Its 
study has sometimes been decried as deadening the 
religious affections. This is a mistake, since it deals 
with those truths which are best adapted to nourish 
the religious affections. Genuine piety is not weak- 
ened but strengthened by the systematic study of re- 
ligious truth. Other things being equal, he is the 
strongest Christian who has the firmest grasp on the 
great fundamental truths of Christianity. It has been 
well said that ''Christian morality is a fruit that grows 
only from the tree of doctrine and that Christian 
character rests upon Christian truth as its foundation" 
(Farr). "Some knowledge is necessary to conversion — 
at least, knowledge of sin and knowledge of a Sa- 
viour; and the putting together of these two great 
truths is the beginning of theology" (Strong). See 
Col. 1. 10; II Peter 3.18. Texts representing truth as 
food, Jer. 15.16; Matt. 4.4; I Cor. 3.1, 2; Heb. 5.14; 
Job 23.12. 

c. In the importance to the believer of definite and 
just views of divine truth. 

Especially true is this of the preacher: Eph. 6.17; 
II Tim. 2.2, 25. "To mutilate it or misrepresent it 
(the teaching of the Scripture) is not only sin against 
the Revealer of it — it may prove the ruin of men's souls. 
The best safeguard against such mutilation or misrepre- 
sentation is the diligent study of the several doctrines of 
the faith in their relations to one another, and especially 



14 Outline Studies 

to the central theme of theology, the person and work of 
Jesus Christ" (Strong). 

d. In the close relation between correct doctrine 
and the safety and aggressive power of the church: 
I Tim. 3.15; II Tim. 1.13. 

"Defective understanding of the truth results sooner 
or later in defects of organization, of operation, and of 
life. Thorough comprehension of Christian truth as 
an organized system furnishes, on the one hand, not only 
an invaluable defense against heresy and immorality, but 
also an indispensable stimulus and instrument in aggres- 
sive labor for the world's conversion" (Strong). "A creed 
is like a backbone. A man does not need to wear his 
backbone in front of him; but he must have a back- 
bone and a straight one, or he will be a flexible if not 
a humpbacked Christian" (H. Osgood). 

e. In the injunctions of Scripture, both direct and 
indirect: Jno. 5.39; I Cor. 2.13; Col. 1.27, 28; Eph. 
4.11, 12; I Tim. 3.2; II Tim. 2.15; Titus 1.9. 

II. DEFINITION OF RELIGION. 

"Religion in its essential idea is a life in God, a life 
lived in recognition of God, in communion with God, 
and under control of the indwelling Spirit of God" 
(Strong). "The Hfe of God in the soul of man." 

I. Derivation. 

This is uncertain. Two views are held : 



Prelude 15 

a. By some it is taken from the Latin verb religare, 
signifying *^to bind back/' that is, man to God. 

b. Others, with perhaps greater accuracy, take it 
from the Latin verb religere, signifying "to go over 
again," "to ponder carefully," that is, a reverent ob- 
servance of one's duties to God. 

2. Relation to Theology. 

Theology is a science; religion is a life. "One 
may be a theologian and not a religious man. One 
may know some things about God and not know 
God Himself" (Farr). 

Note: Some would make religion a kind of knowing, while 
others would make it exclusively a matter of feeling ; but as Dr. 
Strong says, "Since it is a life, it cannot be described as con- 
sisting solely in the exercise of any one of the powers of in- 
tellect, affection, or will. As physical life involves the unity and 
cooperation of all the organs of the body, so spiritual life in- 
volves the united working of all the powers of the soul. To 
feeling, however, we must assign the logical priority, since holy 
affection toward God, imparted in regeneration, is the condition 
of truly knowing God and of truly serving Him." 

3. Relation to Morality. 

Morality is a law ; religion is a life. "Morality 
is conformity to an abstract law of right, while relig- 
ion is essentially a relation to a person, from whom 
the soul receives blessing and to whom it surrenders 
itself in love and obedience" (Strong). From the 
Latin mos, plural moreSj comes the word moral. The 



i6 Outline Studies 

original word means a way of acting and the Eng- 
lish word signifies a right way of acting. ''Ethical" 
comes from the Greek and has the same force. 
"Hence the law which tells men how they should act 
with reference to right and wrong is called moral law, 
and man is said to have a moral nature because he is 
capable of acting right" (Farr). See Titus 2.1-15. 

4. Relation to Worship. 

Worship is an art: religion is a Hfe. "Worship is 
the outward expression of religion. In it God speaks 
to man and man to God. It therefore properly 
includes the reading of Scripture and preaching on the 
side of God, and prayer and song on the side of the 
people" (Strong). Worship, of course, may be both 
private and public. 

Note': "We judge a man's theology by his creed. We judge 
of a man's religion by his life. Theology is of the head, re- 
ligion is of the heart. God judges us not by what is in our 
heads, but by what is in our hearts. Religion, not theology, is 
the final test by which we stand or fall. Many a one who did 
not subscribe to the Westminster Catechism may be in heaven 
after all, while another, well grounded in the Five Points of 
Calvinism and with the Thirty-nine Articles at his tongue's 
end, may find himself in hell, damned in spite of his theology" 
(Farr). 

III. SOURCES OF THEOLOGY. 

The sources of theology are twofold, viz: nature 



Prelude 17 

and the Scriptures. See Rom. 1.20; Psa. 8.3; 19.1 ; 
II John 9. 

1. Nature. 

"The universe is a source of theology. The 
Scriptures assert that God has revealed Himself in 
nature. There is not only an outward witness to His 
existence and character in the constitution and gov- 
ernment of the universe, but an inward witness to His 
character in the heart of every man. The systematic 
exhibition of these facts, whether derived from ob- 
servation, history, or science, constitutes natural theol- 
ogy" (Strong). Outward witness: Rom. 1. 18-20, 32; 
2.15. 

2. The Scriptures. 

"The Christian revelation is the chief source of 
theology. The Scriptures plainly declare that the rev- 
elation of God in nature does not supply all the 
knowledge which a sinner needs: Acts 17.23; Eph. 
3.9, 10. This revelation is therefore supplemented 
by another in which divine attributes and merciful 
provisions only dimly shadowed forth in nature are 
made known to men. This latter revelation consists 
of a series of supernatural events and communica- 
tions, the record of which is presented in the Scrip- 
tures" (Strong). 

Note: There are four mistaken sources of theology, namely: 
traditionalism, rationalism, confessionalism, and mysticism. 



1 8 Outline Studies 

1. Traditionalism. 

Rome elevates her interpretations of the Scriptures to a plane 
of equality with the Scriptures themselves. 

2. Rationalism. 

Rationalists subject the teaching of the Scriptures to the 
criterion of human reason, rejecting what is contrary thereto. 

3. CONFESSIONALISM. 

The symbol and creed of the church interpret and explicate 
the Scriptures, but can add nothing thereto in the way of new 
knowledge. 

4. Mysticism. 

Christian experience is a witness to the truth of Scripture, 
but is not an independent source of knowledge of divine things. 

IV. LIMITATIONS OF THEOLOGY. 

These are found : — 

1. In the finiteness of the human mind: Job 11.7; 
Rom. 11.33. 

2. In the imperfect state of science. 

The so-called conflict between science and revela- 
tion grows out of either an imperfect knowledge of 
science or an imperfect knowledge of revelation. 
They cannot conflict when rightly understood, for 
both are from the same mind and hand: Psa. 19. 

3. In the inadequacy of human language: I Cor. 
2.13; II Cor. 3.5, 6; 12.4. 



Prelude 19 

It is impossible perfectly to express divine truth in 
human words. Even the Greek language, the most 
perfect medium of human communication known, is 
not subtle enough to catch shades of divine truth. 
The New Testament writers had to give new mean- 
ings to old words, thus: logos, hamartia, mysterion, 
katallasso, etc. 

4. In the incompleteness of our knowledge of the 
Scriptures: Psa. 119.18; Luke 24.32, 45. 

5. In the silence of the written revelation: Deut. 
29.29; Luke 13.23, 24; John 13.7; I Cor. 2.9. 

Observe the silence of Scripture: On the life and 
death of the virgin Mary, the personal appearance of 
Jesus, the origin of evil, the method of the atonement, 
the state after death. Little is said about social and 
political questions, such as slavery, the liquor traffic, 
governmental corruption, capital and labor, etc. Of 
course principles of right action are laid down, but 
specific injunctions about many things are lacking. 

6. In the lack of spiritual discernment caused by 
sin. "The spiritual ages make the most progress in 
theology. Witness the half-century succeeding the 
Reformation and the half-century succeeding the 
great revival in New England in the time of Jonathan 
Edwards" (Strong). 



20 Outline Studies 

V. QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF 
THEOLOGY. 

In order to study theology to the best advantage 
one should have: 

1. A well-disciplined mind. 

2. An intuitional habit of mind. 

The student should trust his intuitive convictions 
as well as his logical reasoning. "The theologian 
must have insight as well as understanding. He must 
accustom himself to ponder spiritual facts as well as 
those which are sensible and material; to see things 
in their inner relations as well as in their outward 
forms; to cherish confidence in the reality and unity 
of truth" (Strong). 

3. Some acquaintance with science: Physical, 
mental, and moral. 

4. Some knowledge of the original languages of 
the Bible: At least of their genius and idiomatic 
structure. This of course is not indispensable, but 
yet a great help. 

5. A holy affection toward God: Psa. 25.14; I 
Cor. 2.14. 

''Only the renewed heart can properly feel its 
need of divine revelation, or understand that revela- 
tion when given" (Strong). "It is the heart that makes 
the theologian." 



Prelude 21 

6. The illumination of the Holy Spirit: Psa. 
1 19.18; Luke 24.32, 45; I Cor. 2.10-12. 

Dr. G. R. Crooks of Drew Theological Semi- 
nary used to say : "One needs but three things to un- 
derstand the Scriptures; a knowledge of the original 
languages, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and 
common sense." 

VI. DIVISIONS OF THEOLOGY. 

Theological science is generally divided into ex- 
egetical, historical, systematic, and practical theology. 

1. Exegetical Theology. 

This is the study of the original languages of the 
Bible, the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Old Testament 
and the Greek of the New Testament. 

2. Historical Theology. 

This is the study of the facts of Christianity. ''As 
giving account of the shaping of the Christian faith 
into doctrinal statements. Historical Theology is 
called the History of Doctrine. As describing the re- 
sulting and accompanying changes in the life of the 
church, outward and inward. Historical Theology is 
called Church History" (Strong). 

3. Systematic Theology. 

Besides Systematic Theology, which is theol- 
ogy proper, two other terms are used, namely: Bib- 



22 Outline Studies 

lical Theology and Dogmatic Theology. These tnree 
need to be carefully distinguished. 

a. Biblical Theology. This "aims to arrange and 
classify the facts of revelation, confining itself to the 
Scriptures for its material, and treating of doctrine 
only so far as it was developed at the close of the 
Apostolic Age" (Strong). 

Biblical Theology traces the development of reve- 
lation in successive books of the Bible and com- 
pares the same revealed truth as treated by various 
writers, as Paul, Peter, James, etc. 

b. Dogmatic Theology. This is the study of the 
theology of the creeds and confessions of faith of the 
Christian Church. It often lays more stress upon 
these symbols than upon the revelation of Scripture. 

c. Systematic Theology. This "takes the material 
furnished by Biblical and by Historical Theology and 
with this material seeks to build up into an organic and 
consistent whole all our knowledge of God and of the 
relations between God and the universe, whether this 
knowledge be originally derived from nature or from 
the Scriptures" (Strong). 

d. There is yet another term to be preferred either 
to Biblical or to Systematic Theology. It is Christian 
Doctrine. The word doctrine comes from the Latin 
doctrina, signifying teaching or instruction. It is a 
New Testament word; see Matt. 7.28; John 7.16, 
17; Acts 2.42; 5.28; 13.12; 17.19; Rom. 6.17; I 



Prelude 23 

Cor. 14.6; II Tim. 4.2; Titus 1.9; Heb. 6.2; 13.9; 
II John 9, etc. Christian Doctrine partakes 
in part of the character of BibHcal Theology and in 
part of the character of Systematic Theology. That 
is, while not ignoring the material of Natural Theol- 
ogy (the universe) it yet lays chief emphasis upon the 
contents of revelation. Christian Doctrine may be 
defined as the cardinal doctrines or truths of the 
Bible arranged in systematic form. This is the term 
which has been chosen for this course; and the ex- 
pression Outline Studies has been adopted because 
the lectures are not exhaustive of the subject. 

"The Scriptures are rich in doctrinal material, 
but in elementary form; and it is only through a sci- 
entific mode of treatment that these elements can be 
brought into a theology in any proper sense of the 
term" (Miley). 

4. Practical Theology. 

This is "the system of truth considered as a means 
of renewing and sanctifying men, or, in other words, 
theology in its publication and enforcement" (Strong). 

VII. VALUE OF THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY. 

A good working knowledge of theology is of very 
great value : 

I. It forms the basis of Christian experience: 

Titus 2 ; II John 9. 



24 Outline Studies 

2. It is the touchstone of error : Matt. 22.29 > Gal. 
1.6-9; II Tim. 4.2-4. 

3. It is the foundation of teaching: I Tim. 4.13. 

VIII. METHODS OF THEOLOGY. 

Various have been the methods of treating the 
material of theology. Thus, the Analytical method 
begins with blessedness, which is the end of all 
things, and then treats of the means by which it is 
secured. The Trinitarian method regards Christian 
Doctrine as a manifestation successively of the 
Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Federal method 
treats theology under the old and the new covenants. 
The Anthropological method begins with man's dis- 
ease, sin, and ends with redemption, the remedy for 
this disease. The Christological method treats of 
God, man, and sin as presuppositions of the person 
and work of Christ. The Historical method discusses, 
chronologically, the history of redemption. The Al- 
legorical method describes "man as a wanderer, God 
as the end, life as a road, the Holy Spirit as a Hght, 
and heaven as a home." This is done in Bunyan's 
"Holy War." Opposed to all these is the Synthetic 
method, so called, which "starts from the highest 
principle, God, and proceeds to man, Christ, redemp- 
tion, and finally to the end of all things" (Hagenback, 
Hist. Doctrine, 2:152). 



Prelude 25 

We adopt the Synthetic method with some mod- 
ifications from the usual treatment. The following 
are the cardinal doctrines of the Bible. Around them 
may be grouped all the teachings of revelation: 
God, angels (including Satan), man, sin, Christ 
(His person and work), the Holy Spirit (His 
person and work), the church, and the future. The 
doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit are usually 
classed together under another doctrine called Sote- 
riology, the doctrine of salvation. But preliminary 
to the study of all these doctrines is the study of the 
Bible itself as the source and support of divine truth. 
Accordingly, we begin with the Holy Scriptures. We 
may now exhibit the doctrines, which will comprise 
our course of lectures in this subject: 

1. Bibliology: Doctrine of the Bible. 

2. Theology: Doctrine of God. 

3. Angelology: Doctrine of Angels (including 
Satan). 

4. Anthropology: Doctrine of Man. 

5. Hamartialogy : Doctrine of Sin. 

6. Christology: Doctrine of Christ, His Person 
and Work. 

7. Pneumatology : Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, His 
Person and Work. 

8. Ecclesiology: Doctrine of the Church. 

9. Eschatology: Doctrine of the Future. 



DOCTRINE ONE: BIBLIOLOGY. 

Topics. 

I. Revelation. 
II. Canonicity. 

III. Genuineness. 

IV. Authenticity. 

V. Divine Authority. 
VI. Inspiration. 
VII. Ultimate Authority. 



CHAPTER I. 

BIBLIOLOGY. 



TOPIC ONE: REVELATION. 
I. DEFINITION. 

Revelation may be defined as a supernatural com- 
munication from God to man, either oral or written. 
The term is usually understood of a written com- 
munication. "Revelation is a discovery by God to 
man of Himself, or of His will over and above what 
He has made known by the light of nature or reason" 
(Home). 

11. METHOD. 

A twofold method of revelation is possible : 
I. An immediate revelation to each person. 
But to this there are serious objections: — 
a. It would interfere with the freedom of the will. 
Some persons might not be willing to receive a revela- 
tion from God direct, but according to the theory it 
would have to be forced upon them. 



30 Outline Studies 

b. It would have to be repeated to each one. Even 
on the part of God this would be, so to speak, a waste 
of time and effort. 

c. It would open the way for contradiction and 
imposture. Human nature being what it is, people 
would not agree as to the revelation they had received. 
Moreover, some would not only delude themselves 
as to what they had received, but would claim to have 
received what they knew they never had received. 

2. A written revelation once given and thoroughly 
accredited. 

This method has marked advantages: 

a. It is more fair and open than oral tradition. 

b. It is more certain than oral tradition. 

c. It is more permanent than oral tradition. 

d. It is required by the importance of the subject. 

e. It is more satisfactory, when properly ac- 
credited. 

The credentials of a written revelation are attested 
miracle and fulfilled prophecy. 

Note : Some of God's ways of making known His will 
to man are: signs (as Moses' rod), symbols (as the pillar of 
cloud and fire), dreams (such as Joseph, Pharaoh, etc. had), 
face-to-face communications (as Moses had), the urim and 
thummin (probably by the changing of the color of the stones), 
the lot, visions, miracles, prophecy, the incarnation, answered 
prayer, providential events, the voice of the Lord in the 
heart, etc., etc. 



Bibliology 31 

III. SOME REASONS FOR BELIEVING 

IN A SPECIAL DIVINE 

REVELATION. 

1. It is possible. 

Granted the omnipotence of God, He is able to make 
His mind known to man. 

2. It is probable. 

Granted the wisdom and goodness of God, these 
would prompt Him to communicate with man. 
Philosophers of all ages have thought a divine revela- 
tion probable, and have expected it. 

3. It is credible. 

Granted that a special divine revelation is both pos- 
sible and probable, it is natural and easy to believe 
that one has been given. Human nature is more cred- 
ulous than incredulous. Thus, in all ages mankind 
has been prone to believe in alleged supernatural 
revelations. Witness the sacred books of the East, 
The Koran, Book of Mormons, Records of Spiritism, 
Mrs. Eddy's ''Science and Health, Key to the Scrip- 
tures," etc. 

4. It is necessary. 

a. The imperfect light of nature calls for the per- 
fect light of revelation. Nature throws no light on the 
Trinity, the atonement, pardon, method of worship, 
personal existence after death, etc. "Even the truth 



32 Outline Studies 

to which we arrive by our natural powers needs divine 
confirmation and authority when it addresses minds 
and wills perverted by sin. To break this power of 
sin and to furnish encouragement to moral effort, we 
need a special divine revelation of the merciful and 
helpful aspect of the divine nature. . . . While con- 
science gives proof that God is a God of lioliness, we 
have not, from the light of nature, equal evidence that 
God is a God of love. Reason teaches man that, as 
a sinner, he merits condemnation ; but he cannot from 
reason alone know that God will have mercy upon 
him and provide salvation. His doubts can be re- 
moved only by God's own voice, assuring him 
of 'redemption . . . the forgiveness of . . . tres- 
passes,' Eph. 1.7, and revealing to him the way in 
which that forgiveness has been rendered possible" 
(Strong). 

b. The healing power of nature and her delay in 
meting out justice to the transgressor of her laws is 
a parable of the divine way of salvation for the sinner : 
II Pet. 3.9. 

c. The dense ignorance, low morality, and abject 
helplessness of man in his natural state demand the 
illumination, righteousness, and power which the 
Scriptures reveal and provide. The Babylonians wor- 
shiped nature ; the Egyptians, animals ; the Greeks and 
Romans, the deified passions of humanity, etc. 



Bibliology 33 

d. Man's spiritual longings require satisfaction: 
Job 31.35. 

e. Man needs a final authority for creed and con- 
duct. 

IV. CERTAINTY OF A SPECIAL 
DIVINE REVELATION. 

The above grounds afford strong presumption for 
the reasonableness of believing in a revelation from 
God; that is, the Holy Scriptures. But we are not 
left without absolute certainty that the Bible is such 
a revelation. By the twofold proof of attested miracle 
and fulfilled prophecy God has certified His Book. 

Note: "For two reasons God has given us a written revela- 
tion: Because He is absent; and 'Lest we forget': Josh. 1.13; 
Mai. 4.4; Jude 17" (Chapell). 



TOPIC TWO: CANONICITY. 

I. DEFINITION OF CANON. 

Canon (from the Greek kanon — reed or measur- 
ing rod), is a rule of life or doctrine. Thus, there are 
canons of music, art, criticism, etc., which are the 
fundamental principles of these subjects. 

II. CANON OF SCRIPTURE. 

The canon of Scripture comprises the sixty-six 



34 Outline Studies 

books of the Old and New Testaments, which being 
inspired of God constitute the infallible rule of faidi 
and practice of the Christian Church and the individual 
believer. 

III. DEFINITION OF CANONICITY. 

The canonicity of any book of the Bible means its 
right to a place in the sacred canon. Canonicity is 
used of a single book; canon, of the whole volume. 

IV. LAW OF CANONICITY FOR 
THE OLD TESTAMENT. 

To have a place in the Old Testament, a book must 
have been written, edited, or endorsed by a prophet. 

Christ, the "Great Prophet," Deut. 18.15, en- 
dorsed the Old Testament Scriptures, and thus for- 
ever established the right of all the books to a place 
therein: Luke 24.27, 44; Jno. 5.39. The three recog- 
nized divisions of the Old Testament were : the Law, 
the Prophets, and the Psalms. 

Note : In the New Testament are 263 direct quotations and 
about 350 indirect allusions to the Old Testament. All but seven 
Old Testament books are referred to, viz : Obadiah, Nahum, 
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah. 
However, as Dr. Schaff says : "The absence of quotation in the 
New Testament of any Old Testament book argues nothing 
against its canonicity." The Apocrypha — hidden, covered — 
consists of 14 books not found in the Hebrew Old Testament, 



Bibliology 35 

but in the Septuagint (Greek LXX), and also in the Vulgate 
(Latin), Versions. It is accepted by the Roman Catholic 
Church. The Lutheran and the Episcopalian Churches appoint 
it to be read for "example of life and instruction in manner, 
but not the establishing of doctrine." 

V. LAW OF CANONICITY FOR 
THE NEW TESTAMENT. 

To have a place in the New Testament, a book must 
have been written or endorsed by an Apostle, or re- 
ceived as divine authority in the Apostolic Age. 
Thus, Mark was endorsed by Peter; Hebrews, by 
Paul. 

Note i. Luther's law of canonicity was the power of a book 
to teach Christ. James, he called "A right straw-y epistle," be- 
cause he believed James contradicted Paul on the subject of Faith 
and Works: Rom. 4 and Jas. 2. Jude, Luther called "An 
unnecessary epistle." He also rejected Hebrews and Revela- 
tion. 

Note 2. There is a well-founded tradition that the Old Testa- 
ment canon was formed by Ezra. The New Testament canon 
was not, as many suppose, formed arbitrarily by decree of Church 
Council. It is true that the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 363, 
(which was not an Ecumenical Council), did ratify the canon, 
but only as already accepted by the churches. But the canon 
of the New Testament was formed gradually under the prov- 
idence of God, the Holy Spirit in the churches, we believe, 
giving the needed discernment to accept the genuine and 
reject the spurious. The fact that certain books were for 
some time held in doubt, but later were accepted simply shows 
what care was exercised. These books are seven in number 



36 Outline Studies 

and are called "Antilegomena," that is, spoken against. They are : 
Hebrews, James, II Peter, II and III John, Jude, and Revelation. 
The New Testament books were read in the churches, I Thess. 
5.27; were circulated among the churches. Col. 4.16; II Peter 
3.15, 16; and the churches were warned against forgeries, 
II Thess. 2.2. 



TOPIC THREE: GENUINENESS. 

I. DEFINITION. 

The Genuineness of the Scriptures involves two 
questions, authorship and date. Were the various 
books of the Bible written by the men to whom they 
are ascribed? And, were they written at the time, 
approximately, to which they are assigned? 

Note: Genuineness is opposed to spuriousness. A corrupt 
text is an altered text. 

II. GENUINENESS OF THE OLD 
TESTAMENT. 

This, like its canonicity, or rather the canonicity 
of the books, was settled by Christ: Luke 24.27, 44. 
Christ's witness to the Old Testament, as a whole 
or any part thereof, is a sufficient answer to Higher 
Criticism. For example, take Jonah. See Matt. 
12.39, 40; Luke 11.29. Also, the "Deutero-Isaiah" : 
Matt. 8.17; Luke 4.17, 18, etc. 



Bibliology 37 

III. GENUINENESS OF THE NEW 
TESTAMENT. 

If we had Christ's witness to the New Testa- 
ment, as we have His vv^itness to the Old Testament, 
this would be sufficient; but in its absence we resort 
to what is known as external and internal evidence. 

I. External proof. 

There is satisfactory evidence that the New Testa- 
ment, as we now have it, was accepted as genuine 
before A. D. 200. This would necessitate a long-con- 
tinued previous existence, since the transcription of 
manuscripts and their circulation were very slow. 

Note i. Irenaeus (A. D. 120-200) refers to the four Gospels. 
Polycarp (A. D. 80-166) was his teacher and friend. And 
Polycarp's teacher and friend was John, Ihe Beloved Apostle. 
See John Urquhart's "Structure of the Bible." 

Note 2. A chain of four links binds the 20th to the ist 
century : 

A. The printed Bible. From the American Standard Version 
to the Bibles of Coverdale, Tyndale, and Wyclif of the 15th 
century. 

B. The Greek Manuscripts of the 4th century. Of these, 
the greatest are three: The Vatican Manuscript, at Rome, un- 
der charge of the Roman Catholic Church ; The Sinaitic, at 
Petrograd, Russia, under the charge of the Greek Church; and 
The Alexandrian, at London, under the charge of the Prot- 
estant Church. Including fragments, there are fully 2,000 
manuscripts of the Old Testament and 3,000 of the New Testa- 
ment. Of the Old Testament Manuscripts, there are none 
older than the sixth or seventh century. At this time, the 



38 Outline Studies 

Massorites, a school of Jewish Rabbis at Lake Tiberias, having 
invented a system of vowel points to pronounce the Hebrew 
text, destroyed all the manuscripts they could find. (Of the 
classic authors, there are sometimes not more than 20 manu- 
scripts, none being older than the loth century.) 

C. Quotations found in the writings of the Church and 
Apostolic Fathers. These are of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, 
and are sufficient in variety and number to reproduce the en- 
tire New Testament. 

D, Early Versions, dating, perhaps, as early as A. D. 150. 
Of these, the most valuable are : The Syriac, of the Eastern 
Church, and The Vulgate, or Old Latin, of the Western Church. 

The original autographs have been lost. It is improbable, 
though not impossible, that they will ever be found. 

2. Internal proof. 

Internal evidence of the genuineness of the Scrip- 
tures proceeds upon questions of language, style, his- 
tory, etc., which cannot properly be discussed here, as 
they belong to Biblical Introduction. 



TOPIC FOUR: AUTHENTICITY. 

I. DEFINITION. 

The Authenticity of the Scriptures means their 
credibility or truthfulness. 

II. AUTHENTICITY OF THE OLD 
TESTAMENT. 

This was estabhshed by Christ: Luke 24.27, 44. 



Bibliology 39 

III. AUTHENTICITY OF THE NEW 
TESTAMENT. 

This is established by proving from the books them- 
selves that the v^^riters were competent, upright, and 
trustworthy. 

1. Competency is proved: 

a. From the common sense and good judgment 
of the writers. "They do not write like enthusiasts 
or fanatics." 

b. From the more-than-average intelligence of the 
writers. In this respect, they were superior to men 
of their time. 

c. From the consideration that the facts they re- 
cord could be tested by the senses: I John i.i. In 
order to record accurately simple matters of every-day 
occurrence, a liberal education and a special training 
are not required. 

2. Uprightness is proved : 

a. From the seriousness of tone of the writings. 
A moral earnestness pervades the writings of the New 
Testament. 

b. From the spirituality of the teaching. 

c. From the absence of sufficient motive for fraud. 

3. Trustworthiness. 

This is proved from competency and uprightness. As 



40 Outline Studies 

competent, they were able to tell the truth; as up- 
right, they were in duty bound to do so. 



TOPIC FIVE: DIVINE AUTHORITY. 

I. DEFINITION. 

The Divine Authority of the Scriptures constitutes 
them the final court of appeal in all matters of Chris- 
tian faith and practice. 

II. SOURCE. 

The divine authority of the Old Testament rests up- 
on the testimony of Christ: Luke 24.27, 44. But 
so also does that of the New Testament, as the fol- 
lowing facts prove: 

1. Christ stated plainly that He would leave un- 
finished the revelation of truth: John 16.12. 

2. He promised that the revelation should be com- 
pleted after His departure: John 16.12. 

3. He chose certain persons to receive such addi- 
tional revelations and to be His witnesses, preachers, 
and teachers after His departure: John 15.27; 16.13; 
Acts 1.8; Matt. 28.19, 20; Acts 9. 15- 17. 

4. Knowing beforehand what they would write. 
He gave to their words precisely the same authority 
as His own: Matt. 10. 14-15; Luke 10.16; John 13.20; 
17.20. 



Bibliology 41 

TOPIC SIX: INSPIRATION. 
I. DEFINITIONS. 

There are three terms which need to be distin- 
guished, viz : Revelation, Inspiration, and Illumina- 
tion. 

1. Revelation. 

Revelation may be defined as that act of God by 
which He communicates to the mind of man 
truth not known before and incapable of being dis- 
covered by the mind of man unaided. Revelation is 
also used of the truth thus communicated, 

2. Inspiration. 

Inspiration may be defined as the divine influence 
which renders a speaker or writer infallible in the 
communication of truth, whether previously known or 
not. 

"By the Inspiration of the Scriptures we mean that 
special divine influence upon the minds of the Scrip- 
ture writers in virtue of which their productions, 
apart from errors of transcription and when rightly 
interpreted, together constitute an infallible rule of 
faith and practice" (Strong). 

3. Illumination. 

Illumination may be defined as the divine quicken- 
ing of the human mind in virtue of which it is enabled 



42 Outline Studies 

to understand truth already revealed. By "truth al- 
ready revealed" is meant the teachings of the Holy 
Scriptures. 

Note: Illumination reveals no new truth, but gives an un* 
derstanding of old truth: Luke 24.32, 45. 

What light is to the eye, illumination is to the 
mind: Matt. 16.17; I Cor. 2.10, 14. Revelation con- 
cerns the discovery of truth; Inspiration, the com- 
munication of truth; and Illumination, the under- 
standing of truth. Or, 

Revelation — Discovery. 

Inspiration — Communication. 

Illumination — Understanding. 

It may help our understanding of terms above em- 
ployed, if WQ adduce instances of: 

1. Inspiration, without Revelation, as in Luke or 
Acts: Luke 1.4. 

2. Inspiration, including Revelation, as in the 
Apocalypse: Rev. i.i-ii. 

3. Inspiration, without Illumination, as in the 
Prophets: I Pet. i.ii. 

4. Inspiration, including Illumination, as in the 
case of Paul: I Cor. 2.12. 

II. THE NATURE OF INSPIRATION. 

The nature of inspiration is brought out in two 
striking New Testament passages, viz: II Tim. 3.16 
and II Peter 1.2 1. 



Bibliology 43 

In the first passage, the Greek word rendered "in- 
spired of God/' or "given by inspiration of God," 
signifies, Hterally, "God-breathed" (Theopneustos). 
The Authorized Version is more faithful to the Greek 
than the Revised Version. Says Dr. Wm. Evans: 

"If Paul had said, 'All Scripture that is divinely 
inspired is also profitable, etc.,' he would virtually 
have said, 'There is some part of the Scripture, some 
part of the Bible, that is not profitable, etc., and, 
therefore, not inspired.' This is what the spirit of ra- 
tionalism wants, namely, to make human reason the 
test and judge and measure of what is inspired and 
what is not. One man says such and such a verse is not 
profitable to him; another says such and such a verse 
is not to him. The result is that no Bible is left. Is it 
possible that anyone need be told the flat and sapless 
tautology that all divinely inspired Scripture is also 
profitable? Paul dealt in no such meaningless 
phrases. The word translated also does not mean 
also here. It means and. Its position in the sen- 
tence shows this. Again, the Revised rendering is 
shown to be openly false because the revisers refused 
to render the same Greek construction in the same 
way, which convicts them of error. In Heb. 4.13 
we have: 'All things are naked and laid open be- 
fore the eyes of him with whom we have to do.' 
The form and construction are identical with those 
of II Tim. 3.16. Were we, however, to translate this 



44 Outline Studies 

passage as the revisers translated the passage in 
Timothy, it would read : 'All naked things are also 
open to the eyes of him with whom we have to 
do.' All uncovered things are also exposed things ! 
All naked things are also open things ! Again, I Tim. 
4.4, 'Every creature of God is good and nothing is 
to be rejected.' According to the principles the re- 
visers adopted in rendering II Tim. 3.16, this passage 
would read, 'Every good creature of God is also 
nothing to be rejected.' The Greek language has 
no such meaningless syntax. The place of the verb 
is, which must be supplied, is directly before the 
word inspired, and not after it. The great ration- 
ahstic scholar, DeWette, confessed candidly that the 
rendering the revisers adopted here cannot be de- 
fended. In his German version of the text, he gave 
the sense thus : 'Every sacred writing, i. e., of the 
canonical Scriptures, is inspired of God and is use- 
ful for doctrine,' etc. Bishops Moberly and Words- 
worth, Archbishop Trench and others of the Revision 
Committee disclaimed any responsibility for the ren- 
dering. Dean Burgon pronounced it, 'The most as- 
tonishing as well as calamitous literary blunder of the 
age.' It was condemned by Dr. Tregelles." 

In the other passage, II Peter 1.21, the Greek verb 
rendered "moved" (Revised Version, "being moved") 
signifies, literally, to be moved upon, or to be borne 
along, i. e., as by a strong current or mighty in- 



Bibliology 45 

fluence. The verb-form is the passive participle, and 
may be rendered ''when moved upon or borne along 
by," etc. This distinctly teaches that the Scripture 
was not written by mere men, or at their suggestion, 
but by men moved upon, prompted, yea indeed, driv- 
en by the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Evans 
continues : 

"The statements of the Scripture (viz : in II Tim. 
and II Peter) may be summed up as follows: Holy 
men of God, qualified by the infusion of the breath 
of God, wrote in obedience to the divine command, 
and were kept from all error, whether they revealed 
truths previously unknown or recorded truths al- 
ready familiar." 

Note: Inspiration comes from two Latin words, in and spiro, 
signifying "to breathe in." So aspire (ad) means "to breathe 
to"; transpire, "to breathe across"; expire, "to breathe out," etc. 

III. THE EXTENT OF INSPIRATION. 

What is the extent of inspiration? Is it confined 
to the essential ideas, the "concept," so called, or 
does it include the language of Scripture? Shall we 
say, the Bible contains the Word of God, or, the 
Bible is the Word of God? If we are to have ac- 
curacy and authority, there can be no such thing as 
inspired thoughts apart from inspired words; for 
language is the expression of thought — its embod- 
iment and vehicle. The Bible is the Word of God. 



46 Outline Studies 

The very words of Scripture are inspired. This is 
called plenary (i. e., full), verbal inspiration. 

A. Testimony of the Old Testament Writers. 

1. Balaam: Num. 22.38; 23.12. 

2. Moses: Ex. 4.10-17; Num. 17.2-3; Deut. 4.2; 
6.1 ; 29.1. 

3. Joshua: Josh. 1.1-8. 

4. David: II Sam. 23.2. 

5. Solomon : Prov. 30.5-6. 

6. Isaiah: Isa. 5.24; 8.1. 

7. Jeremiah: Jer. 1.7-9; 7-^7\ I3-I2; 30.1-2; 36.1, 
2, 4, II, 27-32. . 

8. Ezekiel: Ezek. 2.y\ 3.10, 11; 24.2. 

9. Daniel : Dan. 12.8, 9. 

10. Micah: Micah 3.8. 

11. Habakkuk: Hab. 2.2. 

12. Zechariah: Zech. 7.8-12. 

B. Testimony of the New Testament Writers. 

1. Paul: I Cor. 2.13; 14.37; I Thess. 2.13. 

2. Peter: I Pet. i.io-ii; II Pet. 1.20-21 ; 3.1-2. 

3. See also Matt. 10.20; Mark 13. 11; Luke 12.12; 
21. 14-15; Acts 2.4; 4.31; Jude 17; Rev. 2.'j. 

IV. THEORIES OF INSPIRATION. 

Nowhere in Scripture is the nature of inspiration 
fully explained — the modus operandi, so to speak. 
In every work of the Holy Spirit, there is a pro- 



Bibliology 47 

foundly mysterious element, else it would not be a 
work of the Spirit. However, Bible students have 
not been content to accept the fact of inspira- 
tion and such hints of its nature as we have found 
recorded in II Tim. 3.16 and II Pet. 1.21. They 
have insisted on formulating theories of inspiration. 
Of such, the principal ones are the following: 

1. Intuitional Theory. 

This consists in a so-called ''exaltation of intui- 
tional consciousness." It may be called natural in- 
spiration. The view admits little more than a pre- 
eminent degree of genius, such as Shakespeare, Mil- 
ton, etc., possessed. This theory is held by Unitar- 
ians, at least by many of them. 

2. Illuminational Theory. 

This consists in a preeminent degree of spiritual 
illumination, such as may be possessed by all be- 
lievers. *Tf this be the true view, there seems to be 
no plausible reason why a new Bible should not be 
possible today. And yet no individual, however ex- 
treme his claims to inspiration may be, has ever ven- 
tured such a task" (Evans). 

3. Mechanical Theory. 

This view holds that the vn-iters of the Bible were 
mere tools, passive instruments, automatons, or un- 
conscious penmen of the divine Spirit. It is the Die- 



48 Outline Studies 

tation Theory, ignoring the human element, and giv- 
ing the writers no scope for the free play of personal- 
ity, and allowing nothing for differences of language, 
style, etc. This view is disproved, for example, by 
the varied wording of the superscription over the 
Cross: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews": 
Matt. 27.37; "The King of the Jews": Mark 15.26; 
"This is the King of the Jews": Luke 23.38; "Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jews": John 19.19. 

4. Dynamical Theory. 

This view, as the name suggests, concedes power 
sufficient for all the facts. While it maintains the 
superintendence of the Holy Spirit, rendering the 
writers of Scripture infallible in their communications 
of truth and thus making their writings inerrant, 
yet it leaves room for the freest and fullest play of 
personality, style, etc. This theory accords with the 
verbal, plenary view of inspiration. 

V. PROOFS OF INSPIRATION. 

These are twofold, viz : Internal and External. 

A. Internal. 

These are Direct and Indirect. 

I. Direct. 

a. II Tim. 3.16; II Pet. 1.20-21. 

b. "Thus saith the Lord," occurring over 2,000 times. 



Bibliology 49 

c. The way Old Testament quotations are intro- 
duced into the New Testament. See Matt. 1.22; Acts 
2.16, 17; Heb. 3.7. 

d. The way Christ and the Apostles treat the Old 
Testament. See Matt. 8.16-17; John 10.35. 

e. The expression : "It is written." See Matt. 4.7; 
Luke 4.10; Gal. 3.10; Heb. 10.7; II Pet. 3.2, 15-16; 
Rev. 2.7. 

f. The claim of Old Testament and New Testament 
writers (considered above). 

2. Indirect. 

a. Supernatural character of the Bible. 
. b. Supernatural character of Christ. 

c. Unity of Scripture. 

d. Number of Scripture. 

e. Chronology of Scripture. 

f. Wonderful knowledge of Scripture: (i) Light 
before sun: Gen. 1.4; (2) Firmament, (expanse): 
Gen. 1.7; (3) Music of spheres: Job 38.7; Psa. 
65.8; (4) Circulation of the blood: Eccle. 12.6; (5) 
Gravitation : Job 26.7 ; (6) Number of the stars : 
Jer. 33.22; (7) Order of creation in accord with 
science : Gen. i ; (8) Revolution of the earth on its 
axis: Job 38.13, 14; (9) Weight of atmosphere: Job 
28.25. See "Many Infallible Proofs," by A. T. Pier- 
son, Chapters 5-7. 



50 Outline Studies 

B. External. 

1. Questions of introduction. 

2. Attested miracle. 

3. Fulfilled prophecy. 

4. Spread of the Gospel. 

5. Preservation of the Bible. 

6. Character of Christ. 

7. Existence of the Christian Church. 

8. Testimony of Christian experience. 

"Whatever finds me bears witness that it has pro- 
ceeded from a Holy Spirit; in the Bible, there is more 
that finds me than I have experienced in all other books 
put together" (S. T. Coleridge). *'0h ! taste and see 
that the Lord is good ; blessed is the man that trusteth in 
him": Psa. 34.8. 



TOPIC SEVEN: ULTIMATE AUTHORITY. 

There are three, and three only, possible sources 
of ultimate authority in Christianity, viz : the Church, 
the Reason, and the Bible. There are those who make 
a fourth source of final authority, namely, Jesus 
Christ. But inasmuch as our historic and doc- 
trinal knowledge of Christ and the entirety of His 
teachings rest upon the Scriptures, this is not a 
source distinct from and independent of the Bible. 



Bibliology 51 

I. THE CHURCH AS ULTIMATE AUTHORITY. 

This is the position of the Roman Catholic Church 
which exalts tradition to a plane of equality with the 
Scriptures and claims to be the infallible interpreter 
of both. Moreover, that Church claims the power of 
special authoritative revelation in addition to the 
Scriptures, and it has used this power. See the dog- 
mas of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, and 
the Infallibility of the Pope. But the Bible was be- 
fore the Church, certainly before the Roman Cath- 
olic Church, enfolding its mystery in the Old Testa- 
ment, and in the New Testament unfolding its his- 
tory in the Present and its destiny in the Coming Age. 
Moreover, the Bible is the authority of the Christian 
Church, its divine constitution and charter. 

II. THE REASON AS ULTIMATE AUTHORITY. 

This is the position of Rationalism. By Reason is 
meant not the logical faculty or "Pure Reason," but 
the "Moral Reason" (intellect plus conscience) ; 
Reason "conditioned in its activity by holy affection 
and enlightened by the Spirit of God." The 
view held is that the Scripture is authoritative only 
so far as its revelations are agreeable to the con- 
clusions of reason or can be rationally demonstrated. 
But the Bible is higher than man, revealing what he 
originally was — perfect; what he is now — a sinner; 



52 Outline Studies 

and what he shall be hereafter — glorified, in Heaven, 
or damned, in Hell, according as he accepts or re- 
jects the Word of God. Instead of man being the 
judge of the Scriptures, the Scriptures are the judge 
of man: Heb. 4.12-13. Among rationalists, the rea- 
son means the unaided reason, the natural (psychical 
or soulish) man who receiveth not nor comprehendeth 
spiritual things: I Cor. 2.14. Moreover, even man's 
moral reason, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, 
is variable, differing in each one according to tem- 
perament, training, and doctrinal predilection. Of 
this, the Protestant denominations are witness. 
Again, the carnal mind is enmity against God, Rom. 
8.7, and v/ould tear from the Bible its supernatural 
and miraculous elements. Of this. Destructive Crit- 
icism is witness. 

III. THE BIBLE AS ULTIMATE AUTHORITY. 

This is the position of Protestantism. The view 
held is that the Holy Scriptures are the ultimate 
authority, the Supreme Court, so to speak, whose 
decisions are final in all matters pertaining to Chris- 
tian faith and practice. 

Yet to the moral reason, enlightened by the 
Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures make frequent 
appeal: I Sam. 12.7; Job 13.3; Isa. 1.18; Acts 17.2; 
18.4, 19; 24.25; Rom. 12. 1. Indeed, the reason has 



Bibliology 53 

an important function. With reference to the Scrip- 
tures, this is threefold : 

1. To judge of man*s need of a divine revelation. 

2. To examine the credentials of Scripture. 

3. To comprehend and interpret the Scriptures. 

Having done these things, reason stands aside, and 
makes room for faith. "Thus, reason prepares the 
way for a revelation above reason and warrants im- 
plicit faith in a divine revelation once given and prop- 
erly attested" (Strong). The externals of revelation 
are for criticism ; its internals are for faith. When 
we know God's will, we must do it. *Tf ye know 
these things, blessed are ye if ye do them" : John 
1317. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. Define Revelation. 

2. What are the possible methods of Revelation? 

3. Give reasons for believing in a special Divine 
Revelation. 

4. Define Canon and Canonicity. 

5. Give the law of Canonicity for the Old Testa- 
ment; for the New Testament. 

6. What is meant by Genuineness? 

7. How is the Genuineness of the Old Testament 
settled ? Of the New Testament ? 



54 Outline Studies 

8. What is meant by Authenticity? 

9. How is Authenticity of a book established? 
10. Discuss the Divine Authority of the Scriptures. 
IT. Distinguish between Revelation, Inspiration, 

and Illumination. 

12. Describe the nature of Inspiration. 

13. What is the extent of Inspiration? 

14. Give the theories of Inspiration. 

15. What are the proofs of Inspiration? 

16. Name three possible sources of Ultimate Au- 
thority in Christianity. 

17. Describe each position. 



DOCTRINE TWO : THEOLOGY. 
Part One: The Character of God. 



Topics. 

I. The Existence of God. 

11. The Personality of God. 

III. The Trinity of God. 

IV. The Attributes of God. 
V. The Perfections of God. 

VI. The Names of God. 

Part Two : The Works of God. 



Topics. 

I. The Decrees of God 
II. Creation. 

III. Preservation. 

IV. Providence. 



CHAPTER II. 

THEOLOGY. 



PART ONE. 
THE CHARACTER OF GOD, 



TOPIC ONE: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 
I. SOME DEFINITIONS. 

1. Theology. 

In its restricted sense Theology means the Doc- 
trine of God. 

2. Theism. 

Theism is the belief in the existence of a personal 
God, Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of all things. 

3. Deism. 

Deism is a denial of God's providence. 

4. Atheism. 

Atheism is a denial of God's existence. 

5. Skepticism and Infidelity. 

These two terms mean a doubt of or disbelief in 
the existence of God. 



58 Outline Studies 

6. Agnosticism. 

Agnosticism is a denial that God can be known. 

Note: Etymologically, agnostic and ignoramus mean the 
same thing. The former is from the Greek, the latter from the 
Latin. However, an agnostic would be insulted were he to be 
called an ignoramus. 

II. DEFINITION OF GOD. 

A. Scriptural. 

1. God is Spirit: John 4.24. The article before 
Spirit is not found in Greek or Hebrew. 

2. God is light: I John 1.5. 

3. God is love: I John 4.16. 

4. God is a consuming fire: Heb. 12.29. 

Note: These are perhaps not exact definitions so much as 
popular descriptions of God. 

B. Theological. 

1. "By God we understand the one absolutely and 
infinitely perfect Spirit who is the creator of all" 
(Catholic Dictionary). 

2. "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchange- 
able in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
goodness, and truth" (Westminster Shorter Cate- 
chism). 

3. "God is the infinite and perfect Spirit in whom 



Theology 59 

all things have their source, support, and end" 
(Strong). 

III. ORIGIN OF THE IDEA OF GOD. 

The idea of God is an intuition of the moral reason ; 
that is, it is innate in the human race. **The knowl- 
edge of God's existence is a rational intuition. 
Logically, it precedes and conditions all observation 
and reasoning. Chronologically, only reflection upon 
the phenomena of nature and of mind occasions its 
rise in consciousness" (Strong). Intuition simply 
means direct knowledge; it is to be distinguished 
from observation and reasoning, which give knowl- 
edge by indirect means. 

I. The belief in a personal God is called a primary 
or first truth. 

"A First Truth is a knowledge which, though de- 
veloped upon occasion of observation and reflec- 
tion, is not derived from reflection and observa- 
tion ; a knowledge on the contrary which has such 
logical priority that it must be assumed or supposed 
in order to make any observation or reflection possi- 
ble. Such truths are not, therefore, recognized first 
in order of time ; some of them are assented to some- 
what late in the mind's growth; by the great majori- 
ty of men they are never consciously formulated at 
all. Yet they constitute the necessary assumptions 



6o Outline Studies 

upon which all other knowledge rests, and the mind 
has not only the inborn capacity to evolve them as 
soon as the proper occasions are presented, but the 
recognition of them is inevitable as soon as the mind 
begins to give account to itself of its own knowledge" 
(Strong). Other rational intuitions or first truths are : 
(i) intuitions of relations, as time and space; (2) in- 
tuitions of principles, as substance, cause, final cause, 
right, etc.; (3) intuitions of absolute Being, Power, 
Reason, Perfection, Personality, as God. 

2. Primary or first truths, which may be taken as 
synonymous with rational intuitions, have three un- 
failing marks, viz: universality, necessity, and logical 
independence and priority. 

a. By universality is meant "not that all men 
assent to them or understand them when propounded 
in scientific form, but that all men manifest a practi- 
cal belief in them by their language, actions, and ex- 
pectations" (Strong). The belief in God ,as a first 
truth meets this test: no race or tribe has ever been 
found without at least a rudimentary conception of 
the existence of a Supreme Being. 

b. By necessity is meant "not that it is impossible 
to deny these truths, but that the mind is com- 
pelled by its very constitution to recognize them upon 
the occurrence of the proper conditions, and to em- 
ploy them in its arguments to prove their non-exist- 



Theology 6i 

ence" (vStrong). The beHef in God as first truth 
meets this test: infinity is the inevitable correlative 
of finiteness; the race has an innate capacity for re- 
ligion; the denial of God's existence involves logical 
processes whose validity rests upon the assumption of 
His existence. 

c. By logical independence and priority is meant 
"that these truths can be resolved into no others, and 
proved by no others; that they are presupposed in 
the acquisition of all other knowledge, and can there- 
fore be derived from no other source than an original 
cognitive power of the mind" (Strong). The be- 
lief in God as a first truth meets this test : **the in- 
tuition of an absolute reason is (i) the necessary 
presupposition of all other knowledge, so that we can- 
not know anything else to exist except by assuming 
first of all that God exists; (2) the necessary basis 
of all logical thought, so that we cannot put confi- 
dence in any one of our reasoning processes except 
by taking for granted that a thinking Deity has con- 
structed our minds with reference to the universe and 
to truth; (3) the necessary implication of our primi- 
tive belief in design, so that we can assume all things 
to exist for a purpose, only by making the prior as- 
sumption that a purposing God exists, can regard 
the universe as a thought, only by postulating the 
existence of an absolute Thinker; and (4) the neces- 
sary foundation of our conviction of moral obligation. 



62 Outline Studies 

so that we can believe in the universal authority of 
right, only by assuming that there exists a God of 
righteousness who reveals His will both in the indi- 
vidual conscience and in the moral universe at large. 
We cannot prove that God is; but we can show that, 
in order to the existence of any knowledge, thought, 
reason, conscience in man, man must assume that 
God is" (Strong). 

3. By reflection and careful analysis it is learned 
that the belief in God's existence as a rational intui- 
tion or first truth has a fourfold content, viz: 

a. A Reason, in which man's mental processes are 
grounded. 

b. A Power, awakening a sense of dependence. 

c. Perfection, imposing law upon the moral na- 
ture. 

d. A Personahty, recognized in forms of worship 
and prayer. 

4. There are some mistaken sources of the idea of 
God: 

a. The Bible. 

We cannot attempt to prove from the Scriptures that 
God exists, and then try to prove that the Scrip- 
tures are from God. This would be reasoning in a 
circle. "A revelation takes for granted that he to 
whom it is made has some knowledge of God, though 
it may enlarge and purify that knowledge" (H. B. 



Theology 63 

Smith). The sun-dial calls for the sun without which 
it has no significance or use. 

b. Experience. 

Individual experience comes from sense-perception 
followed by reflection; but God is supersensible, and 
hence does not come within the range of experience. 
If by experience is meant "the accumulated results 
of the sensations and associations of past generations 
of the race," it may be asked, How did the original 
generation or first man at the head of the series ac- 
quire the belief in God to transmit, except as a ra- 
tional intuition? 

c. Reason. 

Reason often brings into consciousness the belief 
in God but cannot cause it. "The actual rise of this 
knowledge in the great majority of minds is not the 
result of any conscious process of reasoning. . . . 
The strength of men's faith in God is not propor- 
tioned to the strength of the reasoning faculty. On 
the other hand, men of greatest logical power are 
often inveterate skeptics, while men of unwavering 
faith are found among those who cannot even under- 
stand the arguments for God's existence" (Strong). 

IV. CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S 
EXISTENCE. 

The Scriptures do not attempt to prove God's ex- 
istence, but everywhere either assume or affirm it: 



64 Outline Studies 

Gen. i.i; John i.i. The Scriptures declare that the 
knowledge of God is universal: Rom. 1. 19-21, 28, 32; 
2.15. God has inlaid the evidence of this fundamental 
truth in the very nature of man, so that nowhere is 
He without witness. The preacher may confidently 
follow the example of Scripture by assuming- it. 
But he must explicitly declare it, as the Scripture 
does. "For the invisible things of him since the 
^ creation of the world are clearly seen" (that is, spir- 
itually viewed) ; the organ given for this purpose is 
the mind; but then — and this forms the transition to 
our next division of the subject — they are "perceived 
through the things that are made": Rom. 1.20. 

The fact is, the existence of God is incapable of di- 
rect proof. There is, however, a fivefold line of in- 
direct proof which corroborates our rational intui- 
tion. By indirect proof is meant evidence which 
points to God's existence as the necessary ground and 
condition of the existence of anything else. The five 
arguments for the divine existence are as follows : 
the Cosmological Argument, the Teleological Argu- 
ment, the Anthropological Argument, the Ontolog- 
ical Argument, and the Christological Argument. 

Says Dr. Strong: "These arguments are probable, 
not demonstrative. For this reason they supplement 
each other, and constitute a series of evidence which 
is cumulative in nature. Though, taken singly, none 
of them can be considered absolutely decisive, they 



Theology 65 

together furnish a corroboration of our primitive con- 
viction of God's existence which is of great practical 
value, and is in itself sufficient to bind the moral ac- 
tion of men. A consideration of these arguments 
may also serve to explicate the contents of an intui- 
tion which has remained obscure and only half con- 
scious for lack of reflection. 

"The arguments, indeed, are the efforts of the mind 
that already has a conviction of God's existence to 
give to itself a formal account of its belief. An exact 
estimate of their logical value and of their relation 
to the intuition which they seek to express in syllo- 
gistic form is essential to any proper refutation of the 
prevalent atheistic and pantheistic reasoning." 

A. The Cosmological Argument, or Argument 
from Change in Nature. (Cosmological comes from 
the Greek kosmos, world or orderly arrangement, i. e., 
of the universe.) 

I. Statement. 

"Everything begun, whether substance or phenom- 
enon, owes its existence to some producing cause. 
The universe, at least so far as its present form is 
concerned, is a thing begun, and owes its existence 
to a cause which is equal to its production. This 
cause must be indefinitely great" (Strong). The same 
author continues : "This is not properly an argument 
from effect to cause; for the proposition that every 



66 Outline Studies 

effect must have a cause is simply identical and 
means only that every caused event must have a 
cause. It is rather an argument from begun existence 
to a sufficient cause of that beginning." 

2. Value. 

This argument proves that the cause of the uni- 
verse must be indefinitely great. But it cannot prove : 

a. Whether this cause is a cause of matter or of 
phenomenon only. 

b. Whether it is a cause apart from the universe 
or one with it. 

c. Whether it is a caused or an uncaused cause. 

d. Whether it is finite or infinite. 

e. Whether it is intelligent or unintelligent. 

f. Whether it is one cause or many causes. 

B. The Teleological Argument, or Argument from 
Order or Useful Collocation in Nature. (Teleological 
comes from the Greek telos, end or design.) 

z. Statement. 

"Order and useful collocation pervading a system 
respectively imply intelligence and purpose as the 
cause of that order and collocation. Since order and 
collocation pervade the universe, there must exist an 
intelligence adequate to the production of this order, 
and a will adequate to direct this collocation to useful 



i 



Theology 67 

ends" (Strong). The argument as above expressed 
is in syllogistic form. 

The major premise expresses a primitive conviction, 
not invalidated (i) by the objection that the order and 
useful collocation of a system may exist without being 
purposed; or (2) by the objection that they may be 
the result of physical laws and forces. 

The minor premise is the working principle of 
physical science, not invalidated (i) by the objection 
that we do not always understand the end subserved 
by the order and collocation pervading the universe; 
or (2) by the objection that we recognize in many 
things an imperfect order and collocation — due un- 
doubtedly to sin. 

2. Value. 

The teleological argument proves that there exists 
an intelligence and will adequate to the contrivance 
of the universe in its present form. ^'But," as Dr. 
Strong says, "whether this intelligence and will is 
personal or impersonal, creator or only fashioner, one 
or many, finite or infinite, eternal or owing its being 
to another, necessary or free, this argument cannot 
assure us." 

C. The Anthropological Argument, or Argument 
from Man's Mental and Moral Nature. (Anthro- 
pological comes from the Greek anthropos, man.) 

Note: This is sometimes called the "Moral Argument"; 



68 Outline Studies 

but moral is too restricted a term, since man's mental constitu- 
tion is considered as well as his moral nature. 

1. Statement. 

The argument may be represented in three parts: 

a. Man's intellectual and moral nature requires 
for its author an intellectual and moral Being-. Mind 
cannot evolve from matter, nor spirit from flesh. Con- 
sequently, a Being having both mind and spirit must 
have created man. 

b. Man's moral nature proves the existence of a 
holy Lawgiver and Judge. Otherwise, conscience 
cannot be satisfactorily explained. 

c. Man's emotional and volitional nature requires 
for its author a Being, who, as Dr. Strong says, "can 
furnish in Himself a satisfying object of human af- 
fection and an end which will call forth man's high- 
est activities and ensure his highest progress." This 
author continues : "Only a Being of power, wisdom, 
holiness, and goodness, and all these indefinitely great- 
er than any that we know upon the earth, can meet 
this demand of the human soul. Such a Being must 
exist. Otherwise man's greatest need would be un- 
supplied, and belief in a lie be more productive of 
virtue than belief in the truth." 

2. Value. 

In the words of Dr. Strong: "It assures us of the 
existence of a Personal Being, who rules us in right- 



Theology 69 

eousness, and who is the proper object of supreme 
affection and service. But whether this Being is the 
original creator of all things, or merely the author 
of our own existence, whether He is infinite or finite, 
whether He is a Being of simple righteousness or also 
of mercy, this argument cannot assure us." 

D. The Ontological Argument, or the Argument 
from Our Abstract and Necessary Ideas. (Ontological 
comes from the Greek on, being.) 

Note: The three arguments we have just considered are 
called a posteriori arguments, that is, from effect to cause. This 
one is called a priori argument, that is, from cause to effect. 

I. Statement. 

This is the most difficult of all the corroborative 
proofs of God's existence. Indeed, it is obscure — so 
obscure that many keen minds confess their inability 
to comprehend it. It has been likened to the Scotch- 
man's definition of metaphysics : "one man talking 
about something of which he knows nothing to an- 
other man who does not understand him !" The argu- 
ment has three forms : 

First. That of Samuel Clarke, an English meta- 
physician of the i8th century : 

"Space and time are attributes of substance or be- 
ing. But space and time are respectively infinite and 
eternal. There must therefore be an infinite and 
eternal substance or Being to whom these attributes 



70 Outline Studies 

belong." Gillespie, a Scotch theologian, put it this 
way: ''Space and time are modes of existence. But 
space and time are respectively infinite and eternal. 
There must therefore be an infinite and eternal Being 
who subsists in these modes." To all this it can be 
replied : space and time are not attributes of substance 
nor modes of existence. The argument would prove, 
if the reasoning were valid, that God is not mind but 
matter, for, according to the argument, space and time 
are attributes or modes of matter. 

Second. That of Descartes, a French metaphysi- 
cian of the i6th century : 

"We have the idea of an infinite and perfect Being. 
This idea cannot be derived from the imperfect and 
finite things. There must, therefore, be an infinite and 
perfect Being who is the cause." But to this it may 
be replied : the argument confounds the idea of the 
infinite with an infinite idea; "man's idea of the finite 
is not infinite but finite, and from a finite effect we 
cannot argue an infinite cause" (Strong). 

Third. That of Anselm, a schoolman of the Mid- 
dle Ages : 

"We have the idea of an absolutely perfect Being. 
But existence is an attribute of perfection. An 
absolutely perfect Being must, therefore, exist." To 
this the answer is: the argument confounds ideal ex- 
istence with real existence. "Our ideas are not the 



Thealogy 71 

measure of external reality" (Strong). This author 
continues: "A Being indefinitely great, a personal 
Cause, Contriver, and Lawgiver, has been proved by 
the preceding arguments. ... To this one Being we 
may now ascribe infinity and perfection, the idea of 
which lies at the basis of the Ontological Argument — 
ascribe them, not because they are demonstrably His, 
but because our mental constitution will not allow us 
to think otherwise. Thus clothing Him with all per- 
fections which the human mind can conceive, and 
these in illimitable fulness, we have One whom we 
may justly call God." 

E. The Christological Argument. (Christological 
comes from the Greek Christos, the Anointed, i. e., 
the Messiah.) 

This argument rests on the following pillars : 
I. The Bible must be accounted for. 

. 2. The fulfilment of prophecy must be accounted 

for. 

3. Miracles must be accounted for. 

4. The supernatural character and divine mission 
of Christ must be accounted for. 

5. The influence of Christianity in the world must 
be accounted for. 

6. The fact of conversion must be accounted for. 
And these things, severally or together, cannot be 

accounted for apart from the existence of God. 



^2 ' Outline Studies 

"While not one of the above arguments taken by 
itself can be called decisive, yet taken together they 
constitute a series of evidences cumulative and con- 
clusive. A whole bundle of rods cannot be broken, 
though each rod might be broken separately" (Farr). 



TOPIC TWO: THE PERSONALITY OF GOD. 

I. THE DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY. 

Personality may be defined as sentient existence 
possessed of self-consciousness and the power of self- 
determination in view of moral ends. 

Note: The distinguishing difference between a human being 
on the one hand and a plant or animal on the other hand is 
understood to be that while a human being has self-conscious- 
ness (that is, the capacity for self-knowledge) a plant and an 
animal have not. 

II. THE CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF 
PERSONALITY. 

The constituent elements of personality are three: 
intellect, or the power of thinking; sensibility, or the 
power of feeling ; and volition, or the power of willing. 
Associated with these are conscience and the freedom 
of choice. 

III. THE DIVINE PERSONALITY. 

If it can be proved that to God are ascribed opera- 



Theology 73 

tions of intellect, sensibility, and will, then we may 
affirm His personality. 

Query: Has God a conscience? 

1. Intellect. 

The following passages, to cite only a few of many, 
ascribe to God operations of intellect: Prov. 15.3; 
Jer. 29.11; Acts 15.18; Heb. 4.13. 

2. Sensibility . 

The following passages, to cite only a few of many, 
ascribe to God the power of feeling : Psa. 33.5 ; 103. 
8-13; Heb. 12.29; Jas. 5.1 1. 

3. Volition ; 

The following passages, to cite only a few of many, 
ascribe to God the power of will: Psa. 11 5.3; Isa. 
46.10, 11; Dan. 4.35; Matt. 19.26. 



TOPIC THREE: THE TRINITY OF GOD. 

I. DEFINITION OF TRINITY. 

The Trinity of God is His tripersonal existence as 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Note: It is not certain by whom the term trinity was in- 
vented as applied to the Godhead. Theophilus, Bishop of An- 
tioch (A. D. 168-183), seems to have been the first one to use it. 
Trinity is from the Latin trinus, threefold. 



74 Outline Studies 

11. CONTENTS OF DOCTRINE. 

The trinity of the Godhead involves two elements, 
namely : 

1. The unity of God: Ex. 20.3-7; Deut. 6.4, 5, 

2. The distinction of persons in the Godhead: 

Matt. 28.19; Jno. 14.16, 17, 20-23; II Cor. 13.14. 

Note : With reference to the Godhead the word "person" must 
be understood in a somewhat modified sense, namely, to signify 
that the distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 
are of a personal nature. Thus, the Scriptures reveal : 

1. The deity of each member of the Godhead: John i.i ; 
Acts 5.3, 4. 

2. Their mutual knowledge and love: Matt. 11.27; I Cor. 
2.10; Matt. 3.17; John 3.35; 4.34; 5.30; Rom. 8.27. 

3. Their distinct yet relative ofl&ces : I Cor. 12.4-6; Eph 
2.18-22. 

III. ORTHODOX FORMULA. 

The orthodox formula of the doctrine of the trinity 
is : "Three in One and One in Three." 

Note : By maintaining the two elements of the trinity as above 
stated and by holding fast to the orthodox formula we are pre- 
served from several serious errors, namely: 

1. Sabellianism, or a modal trinity which holds that there 
are but three aspects or manifestations of one person. 

2. Arianism, which holds that the Son is subordinate to the 
Father. 

3. Swedenhorgianism, which holds that "the Father, Son, 



Theology 75 

and Holy Spirit are three essentials of one God, which make 
one, just as the soul, body, and spirit make one in man." 

4- Tritheism, which holds to three Gods. Midway between 
Sabellianism and Tritheism, which holds to three Gods, is Trin- 
itarianism, which is the orthodox position. The Athanasian 
Creed reads: "We worship one God in trinity and trinity in 
unity, neither confounding the persons nor dividing the sub- 
stance." The Century Dictionary well says: "The received doc- 
trine of the Christian Church among trinitarians may be fairly 
stated to be that we are taught by the Scriptures to believe that 
there is but one God and yet three equal subjects in the God- 
head, who are described as persons, but that we are unable to 
determine in what sense these three are separate and in what 
sense they are united in one." 

' IV. SCRIPTURE PROOF OF TRINITY. 

As to statement the Scripture revelation of the 
doctrine of the trinity is not definite and explicit. It 
is generally admitted that I John 5.7 is an interpolated 
passage. However, the proof of the trinity is none 
the less conclusive and satisfactory, because indirect 
and apparently incidental. Notice the follow^ing: 

1. The plural noun Elohim (God) with a singular 
verb hara (created) in Gen. i.i. 

2. The expression "Let us make" in Gen. 1.26. 

3. The priestly benediction, in Num. 6.24-27. 

4. The Tersanctus or THsagion, in Isa. 6.3 and Rev. 

4.8. 

5. The formula of baptism in Matt. 28.19. 

6. The Apostolic benediction in II Cor. 13.14. 



yh Outline Studies 

V. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE TRINITY. 

The trinity is purely a matter of revelation. More- 
over, it is a profound mystery. Analogies to it in 
nature there are none, for it is above finite experience 
and human reason, though not contrary thereto. 
**A11 attempts therefore," says Dr. Farr, "to represent 
it are in vain, and v^hile illustrations are sometimes 
useful in overcoming objections, it is unwise to press 
them too far." The following illustrations have been 
suggested : 

1. The fountain, stream, and river. 

2. The cloud, rain, and rising mist. 

3. Color, shape, and size. 

4. The actinic, luminiferous, and calorific elements 
in the ray of light. 

5. The three infinite dimensions of space. 

6. The union of intellect, sensibility, and will in 
personality. 

7. The thinker, the thought, and the relation be- 
tween them. 

8. The thought, the breath, and the uttered word. 

9. The three angles of a triangle. 

10. The spirit, soul, and body in man. 

11. The legislative, judicial, and executive functions 
of government. 

Note : Of tbes^ the tenth in order would seem to be the best. 



Theology *;/'/ 

TOPIC FOUR: THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 

I. DEFINITION OF ATTRIBUTE. 

An Attribute may be defined as an essential, per- 
manent, and distinguishing quality or characteristic, 
which may be affirmed of a subject; as, the color and 
fragrance of a rose. 

Note: In thought an attribute is separable from its subject, 
but not so in experience ; thus, we can think of the color or 
fragrance of a rose as an abstract quality, apart from the 
substance of the rose, but we could not take the color or 
fragrance away from the rose without thereby losing the rose. 

11. DEFINITION OF DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 

The Divine Attributes are those essential, perma- 
nent, and distinguishing characteristics, which may be 
affirmed of the Triune God. 

Note: The divine attributes may be considered by them- 
selves, but they essentially inhere in God, in the sense that 
if we were to take them away from God we should thereby 
lose God Himself. 

III. BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION. 

This should be on the ground of that which is de- 
terminative in the subject. In God this is Personality. 

Note: Theologians are not in agreement as to the classifica- 
tion or number of the divine attributes. Some include as at- 



78 Outline Studies 

tributes everything which may be predicated of God from the 
light of nature, the deduction of reason, and the revelation of 
Scripture. The alphabet could be exhausted more than once 
in this way. Dr. Strong makes two great classes: the Absolute, 
or Immanent, and the Relative, or Transitive attributes. The 
first class involve the mutual relations of the Godhead, as life, 
personality, self-existence, immutability, unity, truth, love, holi- 
ness. The second class involve God's relations to the universe, 
as eternity, immensity, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, 
veracity and faithfulness, mercy and goodness, justice and holi- 
ness. 

IV. THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 

There are three divine attributes corresponding to 
the three essential elements of personality. The three 
essential elements of personality are : Intellect, Sensi- 
bility, and Will. And the three divine attributes are : 
Omniscience, Goodness, or Benevolence, and Omnipo- 
tence. 

A. Omniscience — Infinity of knowledge. 

(The word omniscience comes from two Latin 
words, viz: omnis signifying all, and scientia signi- 
fying knowledge.) The following passages of Scrip- 
ture reveal and prove the omniscience of God : I Sam. 
16.7; I Kings 8.39; I Chron. 28.9; II Chron. 16.9; 
Job 26.6; 28.23, 24; 34.22, 25; 37.16; 42.2; Psa. 44.21; 
94.11; 103.14; 119.168; 139 (whole psalm); 147.4; 
Prov. 3.19, 20; 5.21; 16.2; 24.12; Isa. 29.15; 40.13, 
14, 27, 28; 41.4; 42.9; 44.7; 45.4; 46.10; 48.5, 6; Jer. 



f 



Theology 79 

17.10; 23.24; 32.19; 51.15; Ezek. 1 1.5; Dan. 2.20, 22, 
28; Amos 4.13; 9.2-4; Matt. 6.4, 18, 32; 10.29, 30; Acts 
1.24; 2.23; Rom. 8.27-29; 11.33, 34; I Cor. 3.20; I 
rhess. 2.4; II Tim. 2.19; Heb. 4.13; I John 3.20. 

Note i. Calvin defined omniscience as "that attribute whereby 
God knows Himself and all other things in one eternal and 
most simple act." 

Note 2. Wisdom may be classed under omniscience. It is 
that whereby God produces the best possible results by the best 
possible means. 

B. Goodness, or Benevolence — Infinity of feeling. 

Dr. Farr says : ''Benevolence means that God de- 
sires the welfare of His creatures with a desire that 
is supremely powerful and pure." 

Of the divine goodness, or benevolence, there are 
five modes or manifestations : 

I. Holiness, or Righteousness. 

Fundamentally and Scripturally, holiness and right- 
eousness are the same. By many this is made to be 
the essential attribute of God. It is not altogether 
easy to define divine holiness. Thus Oehler, con- 
trasting it with glory, says: ''Holiness is glory con- 
cealed; glory is holiness revealed." But this is a de- 
scription, not a definition. Dr. Strong says : "Holi- 
ness is self-afifirming purity. In virtue of this attri- 
bute of His nature, God eternally wills and maintains 
His own moral excellence. In this definition are con- 



8o Outline Studies 

tained three elements: first, purity; secondly, purity 
willing; thirdly, purity willing itself." Dr. Clarke 
says : "Holiness is the fulness of the glorious good- 
ness of God, consistently held as the principle of His 
own action, and the standard for His creatures." 

The following passages reveal and prove the holi- 
ness of God: Ex. 15.11; Lev. 11.44; 19.2; 20.26; 21.8; 
Deut. 32.4; Jos. 24.19; I Sam. 2.2; 6.20; Job 6.10; 
34.10; Psa. 1 1.7; 22.3; 30.4; 47.8; 60.6; 89.35; 92.15; 
99-3. 5, 9; 119-142; Isa. 5.16; 6.3; 43.14, 15; 47.4; 49.7; 
57.15; Hos. 1 1.9; Hab. 1. 12; Matt. 5.48; Luke 1.49; 
John 17.11; I Pet. 1. 15, 16; I John 1.5; 2.20; Rev. 4.8; 
6.10; 15.4. 

2. Justice. 

Justice has been called transitive holiness; that is, 
holiness dealing with moral beings. The term right- 
eousness is frequently employed in this sense. Thus, 
someone has said, ''Justice is the execution of right- 
eousness." Dr. Strong says: "By justice and right- 
eousness we mean the transitive holiness of God, in 
virtue of which His treatment of His creatures con- 
forms to the purity of His nature, righteousness de- 
manding from all moral beings conformity to the 
moral perfection of God, and justice visiting non-con- 
formity to that perfection with penal loss and suffer- 
ing." The divine justice is both individual and public, 
that is, it is visited upon an individual for his private 
sins and upon a nation or a people for their corporate 



Theology 8i 

sins: Matt. 22.12-14; 25.2-12; Amos 1.1-15; Matt. 11. 
20-24; Rev. 20.1 1 -1 5. 

The following passages reveal and prove the jus- 
tice of God: Gen. 18.23-33; Deut. 10.17; 32.4; Josh. 
24.19; I Sam. 2.3; Job 37-23; Psa. 11.4, 7; 19.9; 33.5; 
62.12; 84.11; 96.13; 103.6; 129.4; Isa. 30; Jer. 9.24; 
Ezek. 33.7-19; Acts 17.31; Rom. 1.32; 2.2-16; 11.22; 
II Thess. 1.5-9; Heb. 6.10; 12.22, 22,, 29; I Pet. 1.17; 
II Pet. 2.9; I John 1.9; Jude 6; Rev. 11. 18; 16.5-7; 
19.2. 

3. Mercy. 

Mercy has been defined as that "eternal principle 
of God's nature which leads Him to seek the temporal 
good and eternal salvation of those who have op- 
posed themselves to His will, even at the cost of in- 
finite self-sacrifice." 

Dr. Farr says: "The grace of God is His benevo- 
lence exercised toward the guilty or undeserving. The 
mercy of God is His benevolence exercised toward the 
miserable as well as guilty. The patience of God is 
His benevolence exercised in forbearing to punish 
the guilty without delay. The wisdom of God is 
His omniscience guided by His benevolence in se- 
curing the best ends by the best means." 

The following passages reveal and prove the mercy 
of God: Gen. 18.26-32; Ex. 15.13; 20.2, 6; 22.27; 33-19; 
Num. 14.18-20; Deut. 7.9; I Kings 8.23; I Chron. 



82 Outline Studies 

16.34; Neh. 9.17, 27-31; Job 33-14-30; Psa. 25.6; 36.5; 
62.12; 69.16; 103.3-17; Isa. 55.7-9; Jer. 33.8-11; Lam. 
3.22-33; Dan. 9.4; Joel 2.13; Jonah 4.2; Matt. 18.11-14; 
Luke 1.50, "jy, 78; Acts 3.19; Eph. 2.4; I Tim. 1.13; 
Heb. 4.16; 8.12; Jas. 2.13; 5.1 1; I Pet 1.3; II Pet. 3.9. 

4. Love. 

Like holiness, many make love to be the central at- 
tribute of God. It is indeed of the very essence of 
His being: I John 4.16. Dr. Strong makes love a 
composite of mercy and goodness, defining the latter 
thus: "Goodness is the eternal principle of God's na- 
ture which leads Him to communicate of His own life 
and blessedness to those who are like Him in moral 
character. Goodness, therefore, is nearly identical with 
the love of complacency; mercy, with the love of be- 
nevolence." The author quotes these passages : Rom. 
2.4; Titus 3.4; Matt. 5.44, 45; John 3.16; II Pet. 1.3; 
Rom. 8.32; I John 4.10. 

The following passages, in addition, reveal and 
prove the love of God: Deut. 4.37; y.y, 8, 13; 33.3; Job 
7.17; Psa. 42.8; 63.3; 103.13; 146.8; Isa. 43.4; Jer. 
31.3; Hos. ii.i; Mai. 1.2; John 3.16; 14.21; 16.27; 
17.23, 26; Rom. 1.7; 5.8; Gal. 2.20; Eph. 2.4; Heb. 
12.6; I John 3.1 ; 4.8-16; Jude 20, 21. 

5. Truth. 

The divine truthfulness takes two forms, namely, 
veracity and faithfulness. Dr. Strong says: "By ver- 



Theology 83 

acity and faithfulness we mean the transitive (that is, 
active) truth of God in its twofold relation to His 
creatures in general and to His redeemed people in 
particular. ... In virtue of His veracity, all His rev- 
elations to creatures consist with His essential being 
and with each other. In virtue of His faithfulness, 
He fulfils all His promises to His people, whether 
expressed in words or implied in the constitution He 
has given them." The author quotes these passages: 
Psa. 138.2; John 3.33; Rom. 3.4; 1.25; John 14.17; I 
John 5.6; I Cor. 1.9; I Thess. 5.24; I Pet. 4.19; II Cor. 
1.20; Num. 23.19; Titus 1.2; Heb. 6.18; I John 1.9; 
Psa. 84.11; 91.4; Matt. 6.33; I Cor. 2.9 (the order is 
that of Dr. Strong). 

The following passages in addition reveal and 
prove the veracity of God: Deut. 32.4; I Sam. 15.29; 
Psa. 25.10; 33.4; 43.3; 100.5; Isa. 25.1; Jer. 10.10; 
John 17.17; Titus 1.2. The following passages, in 
addition, reveal and prove the faithfulness of God 
Gen. 9.16; 28.15; Deut. 7.8, 9; I Kings 8.23, 24, 56 
Psa. 36.5; 89.1; 92.1, 2; Isa. 42.16; 51.6; Jer. 29.10 
33.14; Heb. 6.10-19; 10.23; II Pet. 3.9; I John 1.9. 

C. Omnipotence — Infinity of Power. 

(The word omnipotent comes from two Latin 
words, viz: omnis signifying all, and potentia or 
potens signifying power.) The following passages 
reveal and prove the omnipotence of God: Gen. 17.1 ; 



84 Outline Studies 

18.14; Job 42.2; Isa. 26.4; Matt. 19.26; Luke 1.37; 
Acts 26.8; Rev. 19.6; 21.22. 

Note: "The omnipotence of God must be explained in such 
wise as not to contradict either the nature of God or the nature 
of things. It is morally impossible for God to lie or to die, 
and is naturally impossible for God to make two parallel lines 
meet, or to create two mountains without a valley between 
them" (Farr). 



TOPIC FIVE: THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 

There are several modes of the divine existence, 
usually classed as divine attributes, which are better 
regarded as divine perfections. They are: spiritual- 
ity, unity, independence, immutability, eternity, and 
omnipresence. 

I. SPIRITUALITY. 

Like personality, spirituality is fundamental to the 
Being of God: John 4.24. It is not an attribute but 
rather a mode of God's complete and tripartite ex- 
istence. Says Dr. Farr : "God is something more than 
a condition of being like space or time. He acts as 
well as exists. He is an Agent, an Actor, a Living 
Being, and Spirit Life: John 6.63; Gen. 1.3; Psa. 139.7; 
John 4.24; Ex. 20.4; Isa. 40.26; Rom. 1.20; Col. 1.15; 
I Tim. 1. 17. In Psa. 139.7 and John 4.24, God's omni- 
presence seems to be accounted for by His spirituality. 
Matter presupposes the existence of space as a con- 
dition of its existence, but spirit does not. There is 



Theology 85 

no evidence that spirit fills any part of space, or that 
the Infinite Spirit is dependent on space." 

II. UNITY. 

There is but one God. The trinity must be held 
in harmony with the singleness of the divine essence 
or substance: Deut. 6.4; II Sam. 7.22; Psa. 86.10; Isa. 
43.10; Matt. 19.17; I Cor. 8.6; Gal. 3.20; I Tim. 2.5. 

III. INDEPENDENCE. 

Independence may be affirmed of God with respect 
to four things : 

1. His existence, which is imderived and absolute: 
Ex. 3.14; John 5.26. 

2. His knowledge: Heb. 4.13. 

3. His action: Gen. i.i; Acts 17.24. 

4. His happiness: Eph. 1.3; I Tim. 6.15, 16, R. V. 

IV. IMMUTABILITY. 

Immutability means unchangeableness. "God al- 
ways remains what He is without development or 
change. He cannot change for the better, because 
He is best; nor for the worse, because He would 
thereby cease to be perfect" (Farr) : Psa. 102.27; 
Isa. 40.28; Mai. 3.6; Jas. 1:17; Heb. 1.12. 

V. ETERNITY. 

Eternity means existence without beginning or end: 
Psa. 90.2. See also Deut. 32.40; Isa. 41.4; I Tim. 
1. 17; II Pet. 3.8; Rev, 10.6. ''Some suppose that the 



86 Outline Studies 

idea of timeless being is also involved in the word 
(i. c, eternity). It seems implied in John 3.13, 8.58, 
and Jas. 1.17, and existence in time also seems in- 
separable from imperfections and limitations. On the 
other hand, the Scriptures generally speak of God as 
if His life were divisible into periods of past and tu- 
ture, and our minds are unable to conceive of real 
existence independent of time. Eternity is infinity 
in duration" (Farr). 

VI. OMNIPRESENCE. 

"The Scriptures represent God as filling immensity. 
He is present everywhere and there is no point in the 
universe where He is not" (Farr). God is omnipres- 
ent both in His works and in His personality : I 
Kings 8.23; H Chron. 6.18; Isa. 43.2; 66.1; Jer. 23.24; 
Amos 9.2; Psa. 139.7-12; Acts 17.27, 28; Matt. 28.20. 

Note: The atheist wrote, "God is nowhere." But his little 
daughter read it, "God is now here." And it converted him. 
The omnipresence of God must be held in harmony with His 
transcendence and immanence. Divine transcendence means 
that God is above His works; divine immanence means that He 
is within them. Again, immanence must be distinguished from 
pantheism. One who holds to the divine immanence separates 
God from His works; but the pantheist identifies God with His 
works. 



TOPIC SIX: THE NAMES OF GOD. 
In our modern occidental life, proper names, partic- 



Theology 87 

ularly names of persons, have no special significance, 
except perhaps Indian names and those of some other 
primitive tribes. But in the ancient East (and to some 
extent in the modern East) it was otherwise. In the 
Bible, proper names are invested with peculiar signifi- 
cance. Thus, the Lord appears unto Jacob, and he 
calls the place "Bethel," "the house of God" : Gen. 
28.16-19. Rachel dies and calls her son "Benoni," 
"the son of my sorrow": Gen. 35.18. Again, the 
same person or place often had two names. Thus, 
the ancient name of Bethel was Luz, signifying "al- 
mond tree." And Jacob called Benoni, Benjamin, 
meaning "son of my right hand": Gen. 28.19; 35.18. 

In His names God reveals His character and His 
manifold relations to His creatures. New crises or 
peculiar needs among His people called forth fresh 
names; and there can be no emergency among be- 
Hevers to which some name of God does not apply. 
"Even human nature and sin but evoke new and 
fuller revelations of the divine fulness." 

The principal names of God are nine, falling into 
three classes of three names each and suggesting, 
many think, the trinity. 

FIRST. 

There are three primar>^ names: God, LORD, and 
Lord. 



88 Outline Studies 

I. God. 

The Hebrew is El, Elah, or Elohim. See Gen. 
I.I I. El means strength or the Strong One. Alah, the 
verb from which Elah and Elohim come, means to 
bind oneself by an oath, i. e., faithfulness. Elohim 
is a plural noun with singular meaning; in it the 
trinity is latent. See Gen. 1.26, 2y; 3.22. 

11. LORD. 

The Hebrew is YahwCy English form Jehovah. 
See Genesis 2.4 where Yahwe Elohim occurs. Yah- 
we comes from the verb havah signifying both to be 
and to become, and means **the self-existent One who 
reveals Himself," or, "the Coming One." See Ex. 
3. 13-17. Also Gen. 4.16. Elohim is the creation name 
of God, and Yahwe the covenant-keeping or redemptive 
name; accordingly, Elohim occurs in Gen. i and Yahwe 
in Gen. 2. LORD, representing Yahwe, is printed in 
capitals. 

Note : Jehovah is a hybrid word, composed of the consonants 
of the unpronounceable sacred name represented by Yahwe and 
the vowels of the Hebrew word for master. 

III. Lord. 

The Hebrew is Adon or Adonai. See Gen. 15.2. 
Adonai, master, is applied to both God and man; when 
applied to man it is written with a small letter /. Adonai 
means master, or husband. See Gen. 24.9, 10, 12; 18.12. 



Theology 89 

To us Christ is both Master and Husband. See Hos. 
2.16, 20; John 13.13; II Cor. 11.2, 3. 

SECOND. 

There are three names compounded with El: Al- 
mighty God, Most High, or Most High God, and 
Everlasting God. 

I. Almighty God. 

The Hebrew is El Shaddai. See Gen. 17.1. El 
signifies, of course, the Strong One. The meaning of 
Shaddai is uncertain. "The God who is enough," 
"the All-sufficient One," "the All-bountiful One" 
have been suggested. It is quite probable that Shad- 
dai comes from the Hebrew noun shad signifying 
breast, and "invariably used in Scripture for a wom- 
an's breast": Gen. 49.25; Job 3.12; Psa. 22.9; Sol. 
1. 13; 4.5; 7.3, 7, 8; 8.1, 8, 10; Isa. 28.9; Ezek. 16.7. 
"Shaddai therefore means primarily 'the breasted.' 
God is Shaddai because He is the Nourisher, the 
Strength-giver and so, in a secondary sense, the Satis- 
fier, who pours Himself into believing lives. As a 
fretful, unsatisfied babe is not only strengthened and 
nourished from the mother's breast, but also is quieted, 
rested, and satisfied, so El Shaddai is that name of God 
which sets Him forth as the Strength-giver and Satis- 
fier of His people." Both fruitfulness and chastening 



go Outline Studies 

are in this word: Gen. 17.1-8; 28.3, 4; Heb. 11. 12; Ruth 
1.20; John 15.2; Heb. 12.10. 

II. Most High, or Most High God. 
The Hebrew is El Elyon, Elyon signifying highest. 
See Gen. 14.17-24. The distinctive meaning of the 
name is given in verse 19, "the most high God, pos- 
sessor of heaven and earth." El Elyon seems to be 
the name of God known by and in reference to the 
Gentile nations: Deut. 32.8; Dan. 3.26; 4.17, 24, 25, 
32; 5.18, 21; see also Isa. 14.13, 14; Matt. 28.18; H 
Sam. 22.14, 15; Psa. 9.2-5; 21.7; 47.2-4; 57.2, 3; 82.6, 
8; 83.18; 91.1-12. 

III. Everlasting God. 

The Hebrew is El Olam. See Gen. 21.33. Olam 
expresses eternal duration: Psa. 90.2. It is the 
equivalent of the Greek aion, signifying age or dis- 
pensation. Olam also expresses the idea of secrecy 
or hidingness. "The Everlasting God is therefore 
that name of Deity in virtue of which He is the God 
whose wisdom has divided all time and eternity into 
the mystery of successive ages or dispensations. It 
is not merely that He is everlasting, but that He is 
God over everlasting things": Eph. 1.9, 10; 3.3-6. 

THIRD. 

There are three names compounded with Yahwe: 
LORD God, Lord GOD, and LORD of Hosts. 



Theology 91 

I. LORD God. 

The Hebrew is Yahwe Elohini. See Gen. 2.4. This 
divine name is used, first of God's relationship to man — 
as Creator, Gen. 2.7-15; as Master, Gen. 2.16, 17; as 
Ruler, Gen. 2.18-24; 3.14-19, 22-24; and as Redeemer, 
Gen. 3.8-15, 21; and second, of God's relationship to 
Israel, Gen. 24.7; Ex. 3.15, 18; Detit. 12. i. 

II. Lord GOD. 

The Hebrew is Adonai Yahwe. See Gen. 15.2. This 
compound name emphasizes the first part rather than the 
second part, that is, the thought of Master: Gen. 15.1, 8; 
Deut. 3.24; 9.26; Josh. y.y. 

III. LORD of Hosts. 

The Hebrew is Yahwe Sahaoth. See I Sam. 1.3. 
Sahaoth signifies host or hosts. The word occurs 
with special reference to warfare or service. It is 
used of Jehovah as manifesting His power and glory: 
Psa. 24.10. It occurs in the Old Testament mostly 
in the crises of Israel's need. Thus, in his extremity 
the psalmist cries out, "The Lord of hosts is with us ; 
the God of Jacob is our refuge": Psa. 46.7, 11. By 
hosts, ''primarily the angels are meant, but the name 
gathers into itself the idea of all divine or heavenly 
power as available for the needs of God's people." 

Yahwe is compounded with seven names or words, 
thus: 



92 Outline Studies 

1. Jehovah'jireh, "the LORD will provide": Gen. 
22.13, 14. 

2. Jehovah-rapha, "the LORD that healeth": Ex. 
15.26. 

3. Jehovah-nissi, "the LORD cmr banner": Ex. 
17.8-15. 

4. Jehovah-shalom, "the LORD our peace," or "the 
LORD send peace" : Judges 6.24. 

5. Jehovah-ro'i, "the LORD my shepherd": Psa. 23. 

6. J ehovah-tsidkenUy "the LORD our righteousness" : 
Jer. 23.6. 

7. J ehovah-shammah, "the LORD is present": Ezek. 

48.35. 



THEOLOGY. 



PART TWO. 
THE WORKS OF GOD. 



TOPIC ONE: THE DECREES OF GOD. 

I. DEFINITION. 

The Decrees of God comprehend His eternal pur- 
pose which is worked out in time through the vari- 
ous ages or dispensations: Rom. 8.28; Eph. i.ii; 3.1 1. 
In I Tim. 1.17 Christ is called (lit. Greek) the King 
of the ages. Strong thus defines : "By the decrees of God 
we mean that eternal plan by which God has rendered 
certain all the events of the universe, past, present, and 
ftiture." 

II. EXTENT. 

The divine decrees include creation, providence, and 
redemption. More particularly, they may be classi- 
fied into two divisions, namely: first, decrees concern- 
ing nature — creation and preservation; and second, 
decrees concerning moral beings — providence and re- 
demption, including grace. 

Note: To our view the decrees are many, because they are 



94 Outline Studies 

worked out successively in time; but in their nature and from 
the divine standpoint they are one. What a plan is to an 
architect, that, so to speak, the decrees are to God. 

III. SCRIPTURE PROOF. 

Taking a comprehensive view, wq may say that the 
Scriptures teach that all things, both great and small, 
are included vv^ithin the divine decrees : Isa. 14.26, 2"/ ; 
46.10, 11; Dan. 4.35; Eph. i.ii. But to particularize: 

1. The stability of the physical universe: Psa. 
1 19.89-91. 

2. The outward circumstances of nations: Acts 
17.26. 

3. The length of human life: Job 14.5. 

4. The mode of our death : Jno. 21.19. 

5. The free acts of men, both good acts and evil 
acts: Isa. 44.28; Eph. 2.10; Gen. 50.20; I Kings 12.15; 
Luke 22.22; Acts 2.23; 4.27, 28; Rom. 9.17; I Pet. 
2.8; Rev. 17.17. 

6. The salvation of believers: I Cor. 2.7; Eph. i. 

7. The establishment of Christ's kingdom : Psa. 
2.7, 8; I Cor. 15.23. 

8. The work of Christ and His people in establish- 
ing it: Phil. 2.12, 13; Rev. 5.7. 

Note i. The divine decrees are in harmony with God's fore- 
knowledge, wisdom, immutability, and benevolence. "A universe 
without decrees would be as irrational and appalling as would 



Theology 95 

be an express train driving on in the darkness without head- 
light or engineer, and with no certainty that the next moment 
it might not plunge into the abyss" (A. J. Gordon). 
Note 2. Objections are raised to the decrees: 

1. That they are inconsistent with the free moral agency of 
man. But the same objection may be made to the divine fore- 
knowledge. Moreover, it confounds the decrees with their ex- 
ecution — quite a different thing. 

2. That they take away all motive for human exertion. But 
the decrees are not fatalistic ; and they were framed, we may be- 
lieve, in full view of man's cooperation in their execution. 

3. That they make God the author of sin. This is true in a 
permissive sense. However, uod is not the author of sin, 
but the author of beings who are themselves the authors of 
sin. IngersoU asked, "Why did God create the devil?" This 
answer was given him : "God did not create the devil — it was the 
devil who made the devil. God made a holy and free spirit 
who abused his liberty, himself created sin, and so made him- 
self a devil." 

Says Dr. Strong: "There are four questions which 
neither Scripture nor reason enables us completely to 
solve and to which we may safely say that only the 
higher knowledge of the future state will furnish the 
answers. These questions are : First, how can a holy 
God permit moral evil? Second, how could a 
being created pure ever fall? Third, how can we 
be responsible for inborn depravity? Fourth, how 
could Christ justly suffer? The first of these ques- 
tions now confronts us. A complete theodicy (theos, 
God, and dike, justice) would be a vindication of the 
justice of God in permitting the natural and moral 



96 Outline Studies 

evil that exists under His government. While a com- 
plete theodicy is beyond our powers, we throw some 
light upon God's permission of moral evil by con- 
sidering (i) that freedom of will is necessary to virtue; 
(2) that God suffers from sin more than does the sin- 
ner; (3) that, with the permission of sin, God pro- 
vided a redemption; and (4) that God will eventually 
overrule all evil for good." 

IV. PRACTICAL BEARINGS. 

The doctrine of the divine decrees has practical 
bearings : 

1. It inspires humility in the believer in the pres- 
ence of God's sovereignty. 

2. It teaches confidence in Him who works all 
things together for good to them that love God. 

3. It warns the impenitent sinner that his punish- 
ment, though it be long delayed, will surely overtake 
him. 

4. It invites the sinner to make his peace with God 
before it is too late. 

Note: This doctrine of the divine decrees is often a stum- 
bling-block to the beginner in the Christian life, because it is 
full of intellectual difficulties. But it proves to be of great 
comfort to the mature believer, particularly in times of trial 
and bereavement: Rom. 8.28. Here Arminians pray like Cal- 
vinists and Calvinists preach like Arminians, and both sing 
alike. 



Theology 97 

TOPIC TWO: CREATION. 

I. DEFINITION. 

Creation may be defined as **that free act of the 
triune God by which in the beginning and for His own 
glory He made, without the use of preexisting ma- 
terial, the whole visible and invisible universe" 
(Strong). 

Note: The popular definition of creation as "production out 
of nothing" is open to objection : nothing is not a substance, nor 
an object of thought, nor a source of being. The better expres- 
sion is "without the use of preexisting material." 

II. PROOF. 

Scripture proof of creation is both direct and in- 
direct : 

I. Direct. 

This is found in two striking passages, viz : Gen. 
I.I and Heb. 11.3. 

a. Genesis i.i. 

The Hebrew verb translated "created" is bara, 
which is found three times in chapter i, viz: verse i, 
of matter; verse 21, of animal Hfe; and verses 26 and 
27, of human life. This shows that there is an im- 
passable gulf between plant life and animal life on the 



98 Outline Studies 

one hand, and between animal life and human life on 
the other hand. 

Note: The Hebrew verb bara is to be distinguished from 
two other Hebrew verbs, viz : asah, to make, and yatsar, to 
form. Bara is used in Uen. i.i and asah in Gen. 2.4 of the 
creation of the heaven and earth. Of earth, both yatsar and 
asah are used in Isa. 45.18. In regard to man, in Gen. 1.27 
we find bara; in Gen. 1.26 and 9.6, asah; and in Gen. 2.7, yatsar. 
In Isa. 43.7 all three are found in the same verse: "whom 
I have bara for my glory, I have yatsar, yea, I have asah him." 
In Isa. 45.12, "asah the earth, and bara man upon it"; but in 
Gen. I.I we read: "God bara the earth," and in 9.6 ''asah man." 
Isaiah 44.2 — "the Lord that asah thee (i. e. man) and yatsar 
thee"; but in Gen. 1.27 God "bara man." Gen. 5.2 — "male and 
female bara He them." Gen. 2.22 — "the rib asah He a woman" ; 
Gen. 2.7 — "He yatsar man" ; i. e. bara male and female, yet, asah 
the woman and yatsar the man. Asah is not always used 
for transform: Isa. 41.20 — "fir tree, pine, box-tree" in nature 
— bara; Psa. 51.10 — "bara in me a dean heart"; Isa. 65.18 — 
God "bara Jerusalem into rejoicing." This somewhat inter- 
changeable use of these three verbs has led some to state that 
bara does not mean to create. But as Dr. Strong says, "If 
bara does not signify absolute creation, no word exists in the 
Hebrew language that can express this idea." 

b. Hebrews 11.3. 

This passage teaches that "the world was not made 
out of sensible and preexisting material, but by the 
direct fiat of omnipotence" (Strong). The following 
passages may also be consulted: Ex. 34.10; Num. 
16.30; Isa. 4.5; 41.20; 45.7, 8; 57.19; 65.17; Jer. 31.22; 
Rom. 4.17; I Cor. 1.30; II Cor. 4.6; Col. 1.16, 17. 



Theology 99 

2. Indirect. 

This is found in many passages : 

a. The past duration of the world is limited : Mark 
13.19; John 17.5; Eph. 14. 

b. Each of the persons of the Godhead existed be- 
fore the world began to be : Psa. 90.2 ; Prov. 8.23 ; 
John I.I ; Col. 1.17; Heb. 9.14. 

III. AUTHOR. 

God is the author of creation, acting through the 
twofold agency of the Word and the Spirit. More 
particularly the work of creation is ascribed to each 
of the three persons of the trinity : 

1. The Father: Gen. i.i ; I Cor. 8.6; Eph. 3.9. 

2. The Son: John 1.3; I Cor. 8.6; Heb. 1.2; 11.3; 
Col. 1. 16. 

3. The Spirit: Gen. 1.2; Job 26.13; 33.4. 

Note : In every work of God there is an agency of the 
Father, Son, and Spirit. Thus in creation the Father conceives, 
the Son executes, and the Spirit brings to completion. The 
illustration may be used 01 the architect planning, the builder 
erecting, and the decorator furnishing the interior of a house. 
In Gen. 1.1-3 we have the trinity: God the Father in verse i; 
God the Spirit in verse 2; and God the Son in verse 3 — "And 
God said" (Christ the spoken word; see John i.i and Heb. 
11.3). 

IV. SPHERES OF CREATION. 

There are seven spheres of creation: 



lOO Outline Studies 

1. Angelic host: Col. 1.16. 

2. Universe of matter: Gen. i ; on ist, 2nd, and 4th 
days. 

3. Vegetation : Gen. i ; on 3rd day. 

4. Fish : Gen. i ; on 5th day. 

5. Fowl : Gen. i ; on 5th day. 

6. Animals — beast, cattle, reptile : Gen. i ; on 6th day. 

7. Man : Gen. i ; on 6th day. 

Note: Three interesting topics may be briefly noted: 

first, the agreement between science and revelation. As to 
the order of creation, there is entire agreement, though the 
account of creation in Gen. i and 2 is in popular language. 
For example, light before the sun, inorganic matter before 
organic life, invertebrates before vertebrates, animals before 
man, etc. As to the time of creation, some scientists estimate 
10,000 years; others 10,000,000 years. As to the creation of 
man, there is no good reason for putting it earlier than our 
accepted chronology, i. e., about B. C. 4,000 years. 

Second, the meaning of the word "day" in Gen. i. Two 
views are held, viz: that of 24 hours and that of an indefinite 
period. Both views seem to be sustained by Scripture. As to 
the latter, see Gen. i :5 — a day before there was a sun; 1.8 — eve- 
ning and morning being a day; 2.2 — a day that has not yet 
ended; 2.4; Isa. 2.12; Zech. 14.7; II Pet. 3.8. 

Third, the method of interpretation. We reject the allegori- 
cal or mythical view and accept the literal view — the hyperliteral 
view. In other words, we accept without question the histor- 
icity of the early chapters of Genesis. 



Theology loi 

V. PURPOSE IN CREATION. 

Scripture reveals a fourfold divine purpose in crea- 
tion: 

1. In God Himself: Prov. 16.4; Rom. 11.36; Col. 
1. 16. 

2. In His own will and pleasure: Eph. 1.5, 6, 9; 
Rev. 4.1 1. 

3. In His own glory: Isa. 43.7; 60.21; 61.3; Luke 
2.14. 

4. In the making known of His power, wisdom, 
and holy name: Psa. 19.1; Eph. 3.9, 10. 

Summary: "God's supreme end in creation is 
nothing outside of Himself, but is His own glory — 
in the revelation in and through creatures of the in- 
finite perfection of His own being" (Strong). 



TOPIC THREE: PRESERVATION. 
I. DEFINITION. 

Preservation may be defined as "that continuous 
agency of God by which He maintains in existence 
the things He has created together with the proper- 
ties and powers with which He has endowed them" 
(Strong). 

Note: Creation has to do with the origin of things; pres- 
ervation with their continuance. 



102 Outline Studies 

II. PROOF. 

The following passages reveal and prove the divine 
preservation: Neh. 9.6; Psa. 36.6; 145-20 ; Acts 17.28; 
Col. 1. 17; Heb. 1.2, 3. 

Note: Psalm 105 has been called "a long hymn to the pre- 
serving power of God, who keeps alive all the creatures of the 
deep, both small and great." 

III. METHOD. 

How is preservation maintained? There are three 
views : 

1. Deism. 

"This view represents the universe as a self-sus- 
tained mechanism, from which God withdrew as soon 
as He had created it, and which He left to a process of 
self-development" (Strong). The illustration may 
be used of a clock, which one winds up and then lets 
it run of itself. The chief objection to this view is that 
logically it denies in full God's interposition in His 
universe, in the introduction of life, in incarnation, 
in regeneration, in history, in all providential oc- 
currences, and in answers to prayer. 

2. Continuous Creation. 

"This view regards the universe as from moment to 
moment the result of a new creation" (Strong). The 
main objections to this view are: (i) it denies the testi- 



Theology 103 

mony of consciousness as to the sway of natural law ; 
(2) it exalts God's omnipotence at the expense of His 
truth, love, and holiness; (3) it denies our own ob- 
jective personal existence and thus destroys all re- 
sponsibility for moral act. 

3. Divine Power Operating through Natural 
Forces. 

This view, which we hold to be the true one, may be 
thus stated: Though God has established an order 
of natural forces, yet He exercises a special and con- 
tinuous activity in the upholding of the universe with 
its powers. This activity is the activity of Christ, 
who is the mediating agent in preservation as well 
as in creation: Heb. 1.3. This passage gives warrant 
for the view that natural law is only another name 
for the exercise of God's personal will. 



TOPIC FOUR: PROVIDENCE. 

I. DEFINITION. 

Providence may be defined as "that continuous 
agency of God by which He makes all the events of 
the physical and moral universe fulfil the original 
design with which He created it" (Strong). 

Note: While creation has to do with the beginning of 
things and preservation with their continuance, providence 
has to do with their development and fruition. Or, creation 



I04 Outline Studies 

concerns the existence, preservation the maintenance, and provi- 
dence the care and control of all things. Providence here means 
both prevision, foreseeing, and provision, forecaring. 

II. PROOF. 

The Scriptures bear witness to: 

I. A general providential government and con- 
trol: 

a. Over the universe at large: Psa. 103.19; Dan. 
4.35; Eph. I. II. 

b. Over the physical world: Job 37.5, 10; Psa. 
104.14; 135-6, 7; Matt. 5.45; 6.30. 

c. Over the brute creation: Psa. 104.21, 28; Matt. 
6.26; 10.29. 

d. Over the affairs of nations: Job 12.23; Psa. 
22.28; 66.7; Acts 17.26. 

e. Over man's birth and lot in life: I Sam. 16. i ; 
Psa. 139.16; Isa. 45.5; Jer. 1.5; Gal. 1.15, 16. 

f. Over the outward successes and failures of 
men's lives: Psa. 75.6, 7; Luke 1.52. 

g. Over things seemingly accidental and insignifi- 
cant : Prov. 16.33; Matt. 10.30. 

h. In the protection of the righteous: Psa. 4.8; 
5.12; 63.8; 91.3; Rom. 8.28. 

i. In the supply of the wants of God's people : 
Gen. 22.8, 14; Deut. 8.3; Phil. 4.19. 

j. In the arrangement of answers to prayer: Psa. 
68.10; Isa. 64.4; Matt. 6.8, 32, 33. 



Theology 105 

k. In the exposure and punishment of the wicked: 
Psa. 7.12, 13; 1 1.6; II Pet. 2.9; Rev. 20.1 1-15. 

Still further the Scriptures bear witness to: 

2. A government and control extending to the 
free actions of men : 

a. To men's free acts in general: Ex. 12.36; I Sam. 
24.18; Psa. 33.14, 15; Prov. 16.1; 19.21; 20.24; 21. 1 ; 
Jer. 10.23; Phil. 2.13; Eph. 2.10; Jas. 4.13-16. 

b. To the sinful acts of men: II Sam. 16.10; 24.1 ; 
Rom. 11.32; II Thess. 2.1 1, 12. 

Note i. With respect to man's evil acts God's providence is: 

1. Preventive — withholding from sin: Gen. 20.6; 31-24; Psa. 
19.13; Hos. 2.6. 

2. Permissive — refusing to withhold from sin : II Chron. 
32.31; Psa, 17.13, 14; 81.12, 13; Isa. 53.4, 10; Hos. 4.17; Acts 
14.16; Rom. 1.21, 28; 3.25. 

3. Directive — overruling evil for good: Gen. 50.20; Psa. 76.10; 
Isa. 10.5-7; Acts 4.27, 28. 

4. Determinative — ^prescribing its bounds and effects : Job 
1. 12; Psa. 124.2, 3; I Cor. 10.13; II Thess. 2.7; Rev. 20.2, 3. 

Note 2. To the second class we may refer passages con- 
cerning Pharaoh: Ex. 4.21; 7.13; 8.15; Rom. 9.17, 18. God 
hardened Pharaoh's heart : first, by permitting him to hard- 
en his own heart; second, by giving him light and then leaving 
him to resist it; third, by abandoning him to the evil working 
of his will; and fourth, by causing his sin to be manifested 
in one direction more than another. 



io6 Outline Studies 

III. KINDS. 

The providence of God is of two kinds, namely: 
unconditional and conditional. 

I. Unconditional. 

There is a providence of God which is in no wise 
dependent upon the meeting of conditions by its sub- 
jects. It is extended over : 

1. The physical universe: Psa. 103.19; 135.6, 7; 
Dan. 4.35; Eph. i.ii; Heb. 1.3. 

2. The vegetable world : Matt. 6.28-30. 

3. The animal creation: Psa. 104.21, 27; Matt. 
6.26; 10.29. 

4. Man — as to certain general creature comforts: 
Matt. 5.45; Acts 14.17; 17.28. 

2. Conditional. 

There is a providence of God which is dependent 
upon the meeting of conditions in its subjects. These 
can be met only by true believers. They are : obe- 
dience, prayer, faith, and trust: Jno. 14.13, 14; i5-7; 
Mark 11.24; Phil. 4.6, 7; Jas. 5. 14-16. 

Note: Unconditional providence is sometimes called "General 
Providence"; conditional providence, "Special Providence," 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

What are the two general divisions of Theology ? 



Theology 107 

2. Define; the restricted meaning of theology, 
theism, deism, atheism, skepticism, and agnos- 
ticism. 

3. Give four Scriptural definitions of God. 

4. Give a theological definition of God. 

5. What is the origin of the idea of God? 

6. What are the unfailing marks of a primary or 
first truth? 

7. Can you show that the idea of God meets the 
unfailing marks of a primary or first truth? 

8. What are the mistaken sources of a belief in 
God? 

9. What is the attitude of the Scriptures towards 
the existence of God? 

10. What are the five corroborative proofs of God's 
existence ? 

11. With the exception of the Christological proof, 
state any one of the corroborative proofs, 
pointing out its defects and value. 

12. What is meant by "personaUty"? 

13. What are the constituent elements of person- 
ality ? 

14. How may the personality of God be shown? 

15. What is meant by the trinity of God? 

16. What are the two elements of the doctrine of 
the trinity which must be carefully guarded? 

17. How is the term ''person" to be understood 
with respect to the trinity? 



io8 Outline Studies 

i8. What is the orthodox formula of the doctrine 
of the trinity? 

19. Can you give six Scripture proofs of the trinity 
of God? 

20. Mention five illustrations of the trinity. 
Which satisfies you most? 

21. Define attribute. 

22. Define divine attributes. 

23. What is the basis of classification of divine 
attributes? 

24. Mention and give Scripture proof for the di- 
vine attributes. 

25. Mention, define, and give Scripture proof for 
the divine perfections. 

26. Show how Scripture proper names have special 
significance. 

2.y. What do the names of God reveal ? 

28. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
God. 

29. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
LORD. 

30. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
Lord. 

31. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
Almighty God. 

32. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
Most High God. 



Theology 109 

33. Discuss briefly the significance of the name 
Everlasting God. 

34. Discuss briefly the significance of the names 
LORD God, Lord GOD, and LORD of Hosts. 

35. What are the seven divine names compounded 
with Jehovah? Give references. 

36. Define the decrees of God. 

37. What do they include? 

38. Give Scripture proof (the eight points). 

39. What are the practical bearings of the doc- 
trine ? 

40. Define creation. 

41. Give the direct Scripture proof. 

42. Give the indirect Scripture proof. 

43. Who is the Author of creation? 

44. What are several spheres? 

45. What is the fourfold end? 

46. Define preservation. 

47. Give the Scripture proof of the doctrine. 

48. State the three views as to method of preserva- 
tion. 

49. Define providence. 

50. Give Scripture proof — any eight points. 

51. State the fourfold providence of God as to 
man's evil acts. 

52. What are the two kinds of providence? Give 
Scripture references. 



DOCTRINE THREE; ANGELOLOGY. 



Topics. 



I. Good Angels. 

II. Evil Angels. 

III. Demons. 

IV. Satan. 



CHAPTER III. 
ANGELOLOGY. 



I. DEFINITION OF ANGELS. 

Angels may be defined as an order of unembodied, 
finite, celestial beings : Psa. 8.5 ; Matt. 22.30. 

Note : Both the Hebrew and the Greek word translated angel 
means literally messenger: Mai. 3.1. Malachi signifies my mes- 
senger. 

II. NATURE. 

1. As to their substance the Bible calls them spir- 
its: I Sam. 16.14, 16, 23; 18.10; I Kings 22.21; Mark 
9.20-25; Luke 7.21; 8.2; 24.39; Acts 19.12-15; I Tim. 
4.1. 

2. It represents them as above the known laws of 
matter: Num. 22.23; I Chron. 21.16-27; Acts 12.7. 

3. In intelligence they are superior to man in his 
present state: II Sam. 14.17-20; Matt. 18.10; 24.36; 
I Tim. 3.16; 5.21 ; I Pet. 1.12. 

4. In power they are superior to man in his pres- 
ent state: Psa. 103.20; II Thess. 1.7; II Pet. 2.1 1 ; Rev. 
5.2; lo.i; 20.1-3. 

5. They are distinct from man and were created 
before man ; but when is not known : I Cor. 6.3 ; Heb. 
1. 14; 2.16; 12.22, 23; Gen. 2.1; Job 38.7. 



114 Outline Studies 

6. They constitute a company in distinction from 
a race: Matt. 22.30; Luke 20.36; Heb. 2.16. 

7. As created and finite intelligences, they are not 
omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent. We infer 
this from Scripture statements concerning them. 

The Scriptures divide angels into two classes, viz : 
good angels and evil angels. 



TOPIC ONE: GOOD ANGELS. 

I. NATURE. 

They are sinless. This we infer from the names 
given to them: "holy angels," Mark 8.38; "elect 
angels," I Tim. 5.21. 

II. ABODE. 

Heaven is their home: Matt. 18.10; Mark 12.25; 
Luke 1. 19; 12.8, 9; 15.10. However, they sojourn 
upon earth: Gen. 28.12; John T.51. In these passages 
the angels are seen ascending and descending, not 
descending and ascending. 

III. NUMBER. 

Though finite, yet their number is beyond compu- 



Angelology 115 

tation: Deut. 33.2; Psa. 68.17; Dan. 7.10; Matt. 26.53; 
Luke 2.13; Heb. 12.22; Rev. 5. 11. 

IV. ORGANIZATION. 

They seem to be organized in various ranks with 
correspondingly different authorities : Luke 2.13 ; Rom. 
8.38; Eph. 1.21; 3.10; Col. 1. 16; 2.10; I Pet. 3.22. 
Celestial intelligences have been classified thus : 
archangels, angels, principalities, authorities, pow- 
ers, thrones, might, and dominion. This arrangement, 
however, is purely conjectural, since the ranking or- 
der is not clearly revealed. 

Note: The names of two celestial beings are given in Scrip- 
ture. These are Michael (Heb. who is like God), called an 
archangel : Jude 9. See also Dan. 10.13, 21 ; 12.1 ; Rev. 12.7. 
The other is Gabriel (Heb. God's hero) whom Milton calls an 
archangel: Dan. 8.16-26; 9.21, 22; Luke 1.19, 26. Michael seems 
to be the messenger of law and judgment; Gabriel of mercy 
and promise. 

V. MINISTRY. 

1. They stand in the presence of God and worship 
Him: Psa. 29.1, 2; 89.7; Matt. 18.10. 

2. They rejoice in God's works: Job 38.7; Luke 
15.10. 

3. They execute God's will : 

a. By working in nature: Psa. 103.20; 104.4; Heb. 
1.7. 



ii6 Outline Studies 

b. By guiding the affairs of nations: Dan. 10.12, 
13, 21 ; II. I ; 12.1. 

c. By watching over the interests of particular 
churches: Rev. 1.20. In this latter passage some take 
"the angels of the seven churches" to be the pastors. 

d. By assisting and protecting individual beUev- 
ers: I Kings 19.5; Psa. 91.11; Dan. 6.22; Matt. 4.11 ; 
18.10; Acts 12.15; Heb. 1. 14. 

Note: There are guardian angels, but it is probably not 
true that each one has a special guardian angel. At need, twelve 
legions of angels may be at the believer's disposal: Psa. 34.7; 
91. 11; Matt. 18.10; Acts 12.8-11. See also Gen. 48.16; Matt. 
26.53. 

e. By punishing God's enemies: II Kings 19.35; 
Acts 12.23. 

Note : Some interesting facts concerning angels : 

1. They do not marry or die: Matt. 22.30; Luke 20.35, 36. 

2. They eat : Psa. 78.25, R. V. 

3. They should not be worshiped: Col. 2.18. 

4. They have been seen by men: Gen. 32.1, 2; Luke 2.9, 13; 
Jno. 20.12. 

5. They bear God's servants to glory: Luke 16.22, 

6. They will gather together God's elect: Matt. 24.31. 

7. They gave the law : Acts 7.35 ; Gal. 3.19. 

8. They will accompany Christ upon His return : Matt. 
25.31, 32; II Thess. 1.7, 8. 

9. They will carry out God's judgment against the wicked: 
Matt. 13.24-30, 39-42, 47-50, R. V. 

The popular notion that angels have wings and sing seems 



Angelology 117 

to be unscriptural. Dr. Henry Wilson used to take off, in his 
inimitable way, this popular notion by describing an angel as: 

"A beautiful creature with wings 
That sits up in heaven and sings." 



VI. THE ANGEL OF THE COVENANT. 

In the O. T., frequent mention is made of an august, 
celestial personage **who acts in the name of Jehovah, 
whose name is used interchangeably with that of 
Jehovah, and who receives divine honor and rever- 
ence." The names given to this Heavenly Being are : 
the Angel, or the Angel of Jehovah ; the Angel of the 
Presence; the Angel, or Messenger, of the Covenant. 
He can be no other than a preincarnate manifestation 
(a Christophany) of the Logos — Christ Himself : Gen. 
16.10-13; 18.16-22; 22.11, 12; 32.24-32; 48.16; Ex. 3.2; 
23.20-25; 32.34; 33.2, 14; Josh. 5-13-15; Judges 2.1-5; 
6.12-24; 13. 3-21 (see verse 18, margin, and compare 
with Isa. 9.6, 7); Isa. 63.9; Zech. i.ii, 12; Mai. 3.1. 

VII. SERAPHIM AND CHERUBIM. 

The seraphim of Isaiah, the living creatures of 
Revelation, and the cherubim of Genesis, Exodus, and 
Ezekiel are probably to be regarded as "symboUc ap- 
pearances intended to represent redeemed humanity, 
endowed by all the creature perfections lost by the 



ii8 Outline Studies 

fall, and made to be the dwelling place of God." 
Some hold the cherubim to be symbols of the divine 
attributes; others, of God's government over nature. 
Dr. Strong regards them as "symbols of nature per- 
vaded by the divine energy and subordinated to the 
divine purposes, but they are symbols of nature only 
because they are symbols of man in his twofold ca- 
pacity of image of God and priest of nature." 

Note : As to the cherubim : 

1. They are not personal beings, but artificial, temporary, 
symbolic figures. 

2. While they are not themselves personal existences, they 
are symbols of personal existence — symbols not of divine or 
angelic perfections but of human nature : Ezek. 1.5. 

3. They are emblems of human nature, not in its present 
stage of development, but possessed of all its original perfec- 
tions; for this reason the most perfect animal forms — the king- 
like' courage of the lion, the patient service of the ox, the 
soaring insight of the eagle — are combined with that of man : 
Ezek. I and 10; Rev. 4.6-8. 

4. These cherubic forms represent not merely material or 
earthly perfections, but human nature spiritualized and sancti- 
fied. 

5. They sym.bolize a human nature exalted to be the dwell- 
ing place of God. Hence the inner curtains of the tabernacle 
were interwoven with the cherubic figures: Ex. 26.1 ; 37.6-9. While 
the flaming sword at the gate of Eden was the symbol of 
justice, the cherubim were symbols of mercy — keeping the "way 
of the tree of life" for man, until by sacrifice and renewal 
Paradise should be regained: Gen. 3.24. (Condensed from 
Strong). 



Angelology 1 19 

TOPIC TWO: EVIL ANGELS. 

I. NATURE. 

They are sinful. This we infer from the names 
given to them: "the devil and his angels," Matt. 
25.41; ''wicked," Matt. 12.45; "unclean," Matt. 10. i ; 
"evil," Acts 19.13. 

II. ABODE. 

The Scriptures assign them to various places : 
"hell," II Peter 2.4 (Greek Tartarus) ; "darkness," Jude 
6; "deep," Luke 8.31 (lit. bottomless, Greek, abyss; 
see Rev. 9.1, 2, 11). But they also have access to the 
aerial regions, even the "heavenlies" : Eph. 2.2; 6.12. 

III. NUMBER. 

Though limited, their number is unknown : Matt. 
25.41 ; II Pet. 2.4; Jude 6. 

IV. ORGANIZATION. 

They seem to be of various ranks and authority, 
Satan being their leader: Eph. 6.12; Col. 2.15; Jno. 
12.31; 14.30; 16.11. 

V. MINISTRY. 

I. They oppose God and strive to defeat His will : 



T20 Outline Studies 

Job 1.6; Zech. 3.1; Matt. 13.39; I Pet. 5.8; Rev. 12.10. 

2. They hinder man's temporal and eternal wel- 
fare — "sometimes by exercising a certain control over 
natural phenomena, but more commonly by subject- 
ing m.an's soul to temptation": Job 1.12, 16, 19; 2.7; 
Luke 13. 1 1, 16; Acts 10.38; II Cor. 12.7; I Thess. 2.18; 
Heb. 2.14. See also Gen. 3.1; Rev. 20.2; Matt. 4.3; 
Jno. 13.27; Eph. 2.2; I Thess. 3.5; I Pet. 5.8. 

Note: Temptation is both negative and positive — the good 
seed is taken away and tares are sown: Mark 4.15; Matt. 13.38, 
39. Satan has many angels and agents through whom he accom- 
plishes his objects. 

3. Yet, in spite of themselves, they execute God's 
plans of punishing the ungodly, of chastening the 
good, and of illustrating the nature and fate of moral 
evil: 

a. Punishing the ungodly: I Kings 22.23; P^a. 
78.49. 

b. Chastening the good : Job. chs. i, 2 ; I Cor. 5.5 ; I 
Tim. 1.20; Luke 22.31. As to I Cor. 5.5, being delivered 
to Satan "for the destruction of the flesh," four things 
seem to be involved: excommunication from the 
church, authoritative infliction of bodily disease or 
death, loss of protection of good angels who minister 
only to the saints, and subjection to the buflfetings 
and tormentings of the devil, 



Angelology 121 

c. Illustrating the nature and fate of moral evil: 
Matt. 8.29; 25.41; II Thess. 2.8; James 2.19; Rev. 
12.9, 12; 20.10. 

Note: The present condition of evil angels seems to have 
been due to a primitive apostasy — ^possibly at the time Satan 
fell: Matt. 25.41; II Pet. 2.4; Jude 6. 

Query: Were they originally inhabitants of the earth and 
was the condition of the earth described in Gen. 1.2 as "with- 
out form and void" a judgment in consequence of their sin? 
In Isa. 45.18 we are told that God created the earth "not in vain" 
(R. V. not a waste: the same Hebrew word is used in Gen. 1.2 
and is rendered "without form"). If this view be true, then 
Gen. I.I describes creation; Gen. 1.2a describes desolation] and 
Gen. 1.2b describes restoration. Or, we have FORMATION, 
DEFORMATION, and REFORMATION. See "Earth's Earli- 
est Ages" by Pember. 



TOPIC THREE: DEMONS. 

I. NAME. 

For the word devils of our English Bibles the term 
demons should be substituted. This has been done in 
the American Standard Revised Version (Nelson's) : 
Matt. 8.16. ''Devil" is the translation of the Greek 
diabolos, slanderer, a noun used in the singular num* 
ber and applied exclusively to Satan: Matt. 4.1-5. 
"Demon" is the translation of the Greek daimon or 
daimonion, plural daimonia, The root signification of 



122 Outline Studies 

this word is uncertain; according to Plato it means 
"knowing" or "intelligent/* pointing perhaps to the 
superior knowledge which it is believed these beings 
possess. 

II. NATURE. 

Whether demons are to be classed with evil angels 

or not is uncertain. What is certain, however, is : 

T. They are personal intelligences : Matt. 8,29, 31. 

2. They are unclean, sullen, vicious, and malicious 
spirits: Matt. 8.28; 9.33; lo.i ; 12.43; Mark 1.23; 5.2-5; 
9.17, 20; Luke 6.18; 9.39. 

3. The}^ are Satan's emissaries : Matt. 12.22-30. 

4. They are so numerous as to make Satan prac- 
tically everywhere present: Matt. 12.26, 27; 25,41. 

III. ORIGIN. 

The origin of demons is not revealed in the Scrip- 
tures. But it has been conjectured that they are dis- 
embodied spirits, perhaps of a pre-Adamic race or 
order of beings. If they are disembodied spirits, this 
would explain the fact that they seek embodiment, 
without which apparently they are unable to work 
evil: Matt. 12.43, 44' Mark 5. 10-12. 

IV. POWER. 

I. They know Christ and recognize His supreme 



Angelology 123 

authority: Matt. 8.29, 31; Mark 1.24; Acts 19.15; 
Jas. 2.19. 

2. They know true believers and obey the author- 
ity of Jesus' name: Matt. 10.8; Mark 16.17; Luke 
10.17-20; Acts 19.15. 

3. They know their fate to be that of eternal tor- 
ment: Matt. 8.29; Luke 8.31; Rev. 20.3, 10. 

4. They enter and control the bodies of both hu- 
man beings and beasts: Mark 5.8, 11-13. 

5. They inflict physical infirmities : Matt. 9.33 ; 
12.22; Luke 9.37-42. 

6. They inflict mental maladies: Mark 5.4, 5. 

7. They produce moral impurity: Matt. lO.i ; 
Mark 5.2. 

V. POSSESSION vs. INFLUENCE. 

The New Testament warrants us in making a care- 
ful distinction between demoniacal possession and de- 
mon influence. To the former, we hold, unbelievers 
alone are exposed; to the latter, believers. Cases of 
demoniacal possession are: Matt. 4.24; 8.16, 28, 33; 
9.32; 12.22; Mark 1.32; 5.15, 16, 18; Luke 8.36; Acts 
8.7; 16.16. On the other hand, **Demon influence 
may manifest itself in religious asceticism and form- 
alism, I Tim. 4.1-3, degenerating into uncleanness, 
II Pet. 2. 10-12. The sign of demon influence in 



124 Outline Studies 

religion is departing from the faith, i. e., the body 
of revealed truth in the Scriptures, I Tim. 4.1. The 
demons maintain especially a conflict with believers 
who would be spiritual, Eph. 6.12; I Tim. 4.1-3. All 
unbelievers are open to demon possession, Eph. 2,2. 
The believer's resources are prayer and bodily con- 
trol, Matt. 17.21, 'the whole armor of God,' Eph. 6.13- 
18" (Scofield Bible). 

VI. POSSESSION vs. DISEASE. 

Following the teaching of the Gospels, we should 
be careful to make a clear distinction between demo- 
niacal possession on the one hand and purely physical 
sickness. and mental disease on the other hand. In- 
stances of the latter are: Matt. 4.24; 8.16; 9.20-35; 
lo.i; 14.35; Mark 1.32, 34; 3.15; Luke 4.40; 6.17, 18; 
9.1. We need to be reminded that it is unkind, un- 
christlike, and unscriptural to attribute cases of or- 
dinary physical and mental disease to demoniacal pos- 
session, oppression, or influence. We hold that a child 
of God who is fully yielded and wholly sanctified can- 
not be the subject of demoniacal possession in spirit, 
soul, or body: II Cor. 6.14-18; Eph. 5.18; I Thess. 
5-23. 

Note: Dr. Farr gives the following Scriptural tests for dis- 
covering demons : "They appear for the most part in darkness. 
They deny the personality of Satan. They hate the name of 



Angelology 125 

the Lord Jesus. They cast contempt on the inspiration of 
Scripture." The same writer adds : "Some of the disastrous 
ejffects of Spiritism are insanity, the squandering of fortunes, 
the breaking up of happy homes, and the making shipwreck of 
religious faith." 

VII. DEMONOLOGY. 

There are seven forms of demonology mentioned 
and condemned in the Word of God, viz : 

1. Divination: Gen. 44.5; Hos. 4.12. 

2. Necromancy: I Sam. 28.8; II Chron. 33.6. 

3. Prognostication: Ezek. 21.21. 

4. Magic: Gen. 41.8; Ex. 7.1 1; Dan. 4.7. 

5. Sorcery: Isa. 47.9-13; Acts 19.19; Rev. 22.15. 

6. Witchcraft: I Sam. 15.23; I Chron. 10.13; Gal. 
5.20. 

7. Ventriloquism: Isa. 8.19. 

Read Deut. 18.9-14, where God has forbidden all 
these things. Then read verses 15-19, where we are 
shut up to Christ and to His supreme authority. With 
the following we fully agree: ''Whatever of the phe- 
nomena of Spiritualism, or more properly Spiritism, 
may be of supernatural origin, have been regarded by 
some to be the direct work of evil spirits imperson- 
ating departed friends, or acting in other ways to ar- 
rest the attention, excite the wonder, and ensnare the 
souls of the foolish or unwary ; others regard the en- 
tire system as fraud perpetrated by disreputable 



126 Outline Studies 

mediums to make money, and, doubtless, a considera- 
ble portion of it may be explained on this basis." 



TOPIC FOUR: SATAN. 

I. PERSONAL EXISTENCE. 

That there exists a personal devil the clear teaching 
of Scripture leaves us no room to doubt: Job 1.6-12; 
2.1-7; Zech. 3.1, 2; Matt. 4.1-11; Luke 10.18; Jno. 
13.2; Acts 5.3; Eph. 6.11, 12; I Pet. 5.8; Rev, 20.1-3. 

Note : The devil is not an impersonal force nor the princi- 
ple of evil personified. Personal names and personal pronouns 
are used with reference to him, while personal attributes and 
acts are ascribed to him. 

II. NAMES. 

The principal Scriptural names applied to the devil 
are the following: 

1. Abaddon, perdition: Rev. 9.1 1. 

2. Apollyon, destroyer: Rev. 9.1 1. 

3. Beelzebub, prince of demons: Matt. 12.24, 27. 

4. Belial, vileness : II Cor. 6.15. 

5. Devil, slanderer: Matt. 4.1. 

6. Satan, adversary: Zech. 3.1; I Pet, 5.8. 

7. Great Dragon : Rev. 12.9. 

8. God of this world (age) : II Cor. 4.4. 

9. Liar and murderer: Jno. 8.44. 



10 

II 

12 

13 
14 
15 



Angelology 127 

Lucifer, light-bearer: Isa. 14.12. 

Prince of this world: Jno. 12.31. 

Prince of the power of the air: Eph. 2.2. 

Old Serpent: Rev. 12.9. 

Tempter: I Thess. 3.5. 

Wicked One: Matt. 13.19. 



III. ORIGINAL CHARACTER, POSITION, AND 

APOSTASY. 

It appears to be taught in the Scriptures that the 
devil was created perfect in his ways, of great beauty 
and brightness of person, and exalted in position and 
honor; that as a result of pride because of his own 
superiority, he directed to himself the worship due to 
God alone ; and that in consequence of his sin he was 
degraded in person, position, and power, becoming the 
opponent of God and the enemy of man: Isa. 14.12-17; 
Ezek. 28.1-19; Col. 1. 16; I Tim. 3.6; II Pet. 2.4; Jude 
6,9- 

An interesting question concerns Ezek, 28.1- 19. 
Is it a description of the original state of Satan? 
Two personages are in view : first the prince of Tyre, 
vss. i-io; and second the king of Tyre, vss. 11-19. The 
prince of Tyre seems to refer primarily to Ethbaal II, 
and vss. i-io were fulfilled in the siege of Tyre by 
Nebuchadnezzar, which lasted thirteen years; B. C., 
598-585. The king of Tyre and vss. 11-19 seem to 
refer in part to a worldly monarch and in part to a 



128 Outline Studies 

supernatural personage. It is generally believed by 
conservative and devout Bible students that the king 
of Tyre is to be regarded as a representative or re- 
incarnation (a type) of Satan, and vss. 11-19 a de- 
scription of Satan's original character, position, and 
apostasy. Notice the following points : 

1. Satan was full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, and 
"sealed up the sum" (perhaps of created perfection) : 
vs. 12. 

2. He was in Eden, the Garden of God: vs. 13. 
Some think an earlier mineral Eden is meant; others 
think these precious stones formed a kind of breast- 
plate, such as the high priest wore: Ex. 28.15; 39.8. 

3. He was the anointed cherub that covereth : vs. 
14a. Covereth probably refers to outspreading wings: 
Ex. 25.20; 37.9. 

4. He was in the holy mountain of God : vs. 14b. 

5. He walked up and down in the midst of the 
stones of fire: vs. 14c; Ex. 24.10. 

6. He was perfect in his ways from his creation 
till his apostasy: vs. 15. 

7. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty, 
and his wisdom was corrupted because of his bright- 
ness : vs. 17a. 

8. He was cast forth from the mountain of God: 
vs. 16. 



Angelology 129 

9. He was degraded in position and debased in 
character: vss. 17b, 18. 
10. He became the enemy of man: vs. 19. 

IV. ABODE. 

According to the Scriptures Satan is not restricted 
to any one place : 

1. He has access to heaven: Job 1.6; Zech. 3.1; 
Luke 10.18; Rev. 12.7-12. 

Note: By many the last two passages are taken to refer to 
past events; we take them, however, to refer to future events. 

2. He has access to the "heavenlies" : Eph. 6.1 1, 
12. 

3. He walks up and down in the earth: Job 1.7; 
2.2; I Pet. 5.8. 

4. His proper place is hell: Rev. 9.1 1; Matt. 25.41. 

V. POWER AND WORK. 

1. Satan is the author of sin in the universe : Isa. 
14.13, 14 — "I will." 

2. He is the author of sin in the world: Gen. 
3.1-6. 

3. He is the author of sickness: Luke 13.16; Acts 
10.38. 

4. He is the author of death: Heb. 2.14. 

5. He tempts to sin: I Chron. 21. i R. V.; Matt. 
4.1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9. 



130 Outline Studies 

6. He ensnares people: I Tim. 3.7. 

7. He puts wicked purposes into men's hearts: 
Jno. 13.2; Acts 5.3. 

8. He blinds the heart: II Cor. 4.4 R. V. 

9. He enters into men: Jno. 13.27. 

10. He takes away the good seed of the Word : 
Mark 4.15. 

11. He sows tares among the wheat: Matt. 13.25. 

12. He will give power to Antichrist: II Thess. 
2.9, 10 R. V. 

13. He transforms himself into an angel of light: 
II Cor. 1 1. 14, 15. Likewise his ministers. 

14. He harasses God's servants : II Cor. 12.7. 

15. He resists God's servants: Dan. 10.13; Zech. 
3.1- 

16. He hinders them: I Thess. 2.18 R. V. 

17. He sifts them: Luke 22.31. 

18. He accuses the brethren: Rev. 12.9, 10. 

19. He holds the world — "like children asleep in 
his arms": I John 5.19. (R. V. "the evil one.") 

Note : Satan's favorite methods of attack are : 

1. Intimidations: I Pet. 5.8. 

2. Seduction: II Cor. 11.3. 

3. Destruction: Matt. 10.28. 
He frightens, allures, or kills. 



Angelology 131 

VI. LIMITATION. 

Although a supernatural personage, Satan is finite : 
he is not omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent. Of 
course he is wiser and stronger than man, Jude 9, 
and, through his emissaries, seems to be in evidence 
in all places at the same time. It is doubtful whether 
anyone ever comes into personal conflict with Satan 
himself; temptations which come from Satan come, 
except in extraordinary instances, from the emissaries 
of Satan, that is, evil angels or demons. All Satan's 
power he exercises by permission of God; thus: 

1. He cannot tempt a believer except by God's 
permission: Matt. 4.1. 

2. He cannot inflict sickness except by God's per- 
mission: Job. 1. 10, 12. 

3. He cannot inflict death except by God's per- 
mission: Job 2.6; Heb. 2.14. 

4. He cannot even touch us except by God's per- 
mission: Job 1. 10-12; 2.6; Luke 22.31; I John 5.18. 

5.. He flees when resisted : James 4.7. 

VII. DESTINY. 

To our first parents the promise was made. Gen. 
3.15, that the seed of the woman should bruise the 
serpent's head. The serpent is Satan : Rev. 12.9. 
Observe the following historic steps in the fulfilment 
of this promise: 



132 Outline Studies 

1. Potentially, so to speak, this bruising of the 
serpent's head was accomplished by Christ on the 
cross: Jno. 12.31; Col. 2.15; Heb. 2.14; I Jno. 3.8. 
The devil is a defeated foe, and he knows it. 

2. During the present age his power is restricted, 
being exercised (as we have seen) only by permission 
of God. 

3. During the Millennium he will be confined in 
the abyss: Rev. 20.1-3. 

4. After the Millennium he will be "loosed a little 
season": Rev. 20.3b, 7-9. 

5. Finally he will be cast into the lake of fire and 
brimstone, there to be tormented day and night for- 
ever and ever: Rev. 20.10. Praise the Lord! Hallelu- 
jah! 

VIII. DUTY OF CHRISTIANS. 

The duty of Christians with reference to Satan is 
clearly set forth in the Scriptures : 

1. We should be sober and watchful: I Pet. 5.8. 

Note: There is no Scriptural warrant for defying the devil 
or for boasting over him. It is the part of wisdom neither 
to underestimate nor to overestimate, but to duly estimate an 
enemy's power. 

2. We should not rebuke him, rail against him. 



Angelology 133 

or speak evil of him: Zech. 3.1, 2; II Pet. 2.10; Jude 
8,9- 

Note: It is the part of wisdom not to talk to the devil. 
When he speaks to us we should ignore him, or better still refer 
him to the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Protector. 

3. We should not be ignorant of his devices: 
II Cor. 2.1 1. 

4. We should give him no place: Eph. 4.27. 

5. We should resist him: Jas. 4.7; I John 2.13. 

Note: Resist means, not to argue or fight, but to withstand, 
i. e., to stand one's ground: Eph. 6.13. Don't run; leave that 
to the devil! James 4.7. Mr. Lelacheur used to say, "Some 
people treat this verse as if it read, 'Resist the devil, and he 
will fly at you.' " 

6. We can meet him victoriously only when clad 
in the "panoply of God": Eph. 6.13-18; I John 5.18. 

Note i. The devil, says Dr. Pierson, appears in many aspects, 
characters, and activities, such as the following: 

1. A fowler, spreading his snares: Prov. 1.17. 

2. A captor, binding and enslaving: Luke 13. 11, 16; II Tim. 
2.26. 

3. A sower of tares in the field : Matt. 13.39. 

4. A sifter with his sieve : Luke 22.31-34. 

5. A deceiver, deluding and blinding his victims: I Kings 
22.21-23; Matt. 24.24; II Cor. 11. 14. 

6. A destroyer with his scourge: Job. chs. i, 2; II Cor. 12.7- 
10. 

7. A warrior, arming sinners: Rev. 20.7-9. 



134 Outline Studies 

Again, the same author enumerates these "devices" of Satan: 

1. Diversion, turning the mind from things great to small, 
the unseen and eternal to the visible and temporal : II Cor. 

4.4- 

2. Delusion, by lies, wiles, denials, evasions, misrepresenta- 
tions: Gen. 3.4; Ezek. 13.22; II Cor. 11.14; Eph. 6.11; II Thess. 
2.11. 

3. Douhle-mindedness, compromise, trying to serve God and 
mammon: Matt. 6.24; II Cor. 6.14, 15; 7.1. 

4. Doubt, inducing hesitation: Rom. 14.23. 

5. Darkness, enveloping the soul in gloom, either of imagina- 
tion, difficulty, alienation from God, or despair: Isa. 50.10. 

6. Deadness, substituting "dead works" for living godliness, 
etc.: Heb. 6.1; 9.14. 

7. Delay, procrastinating all that is good, leading men to 
put off the time of decision and action: Acts 24.25; 26.28. 

Note 2. Dr. Strong has the following remarkable contrast be- 
tween the devil and the Holy Spirit : 

1. The serpent and the dove. 

2. The father of lies and the Spirit of truth. 

3. Men possessed of dumb spirits and men given wonderful 
utterance in diverse tongues. 

4. The murderer from the beginning and the life-giving 
Spirit who regenerates the soul and quickens the body. 

5. The adversary and the Helper. 

6. The slanderer and the Advocate. 

7. Satan's sifting and the Spirit's winnowing. 

8. The organizing intelligence and malignity of the evil one 
and the Holy Spirit's combination of all forces of matter and 
mind to build up the kingdom of God. 

9. The strong man fully armed and the Stronger than he. 
10. The evil one who works only evil and the Holy One 

who is the author of holiness in the hearts of men. 



Angelology 135 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. Define angels. 

2. Mention five points as to their nature. 

3. Into what two classes are angels divided? 

4. What is the abode of good angels? 

5. What is their number? 

6. How are they organized? 

7. Mention five points as to their ministry. 

8. Mention five interesting Scriptural facts cdn- 
cerning angels. 

9. Who was "the Angel of the Covenant"? 

10. Tell something about cherubim and seraphim. 

11. What is the abode of evil angels? 

12. What is their number? 

13. How are they organized? 

14. What is their ministry? 

15. Tell something about the meaning of the term 
demon. 

16. Tell something about the nature of demons. 

17. What is their conjectural origin? 

18. Mention five points as to their power. 

19. What Scriptural distinction should be made 
between demoniacal possession and demon in- 
fluence ? 

20. What Scriptural distinction should be made 
between demoniacal possession and bodily and 
mental diseases? 

21. What are the seven forms of demonology men- 



136 Outline Studies 

tioned and condemned in the Bible? Give ref- 
erences. 

22. Prove from Scripture that Satan is a person. 

23. Mention ten Scriptural names of the devil, 
with references. 

24. Discuss briefly but comprehensively the orig- 
inal character, position, and apostasy of Satan, 
giving an analysis of Ezekiel 28.1 1-19. 

25. What is the abode of Satan? 

26. Mention ten points, with references, as to his 
power. 

27. Mention five points, with references, as to his 
limitation. 

28. What is the destiny of Satan? 

29. What is the duty of Christians with reference 
to Satan? 



DOCTRINE FOUR: ANTHROPOLOGY. 

Topics. 

I. The Creation of Man. 

11. The Essential Elements of Man. 

III. The Moral Nature of Man. 

IV. The Image of God in Man. 
V. The Probation of Man. 

VL The Temptation of Man. 
VII. The Fall of Man. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ANTHROPOLOGY. 



TOPIC ONE: THE CREATION OF MAN. 

I. THE FACT. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that 
man was created by God: Gen. 1.27; 2.y. 

Note: Attention has been called to the occurrence of the 
Hebrew verb for create (bara) in Gen. 1.27, showing the ab- 
solute separation of mankind from the animal kingdom. 

n. THE METHOD. 

The Scriptures also clearly and distinctly teach that 
man is the result of an act of immediate divine crea- 
tion: Gen. 2.7; Job 32.8; Eccles. 12.7; Zech. 12. i. 

Note: There is no foundation in Scripture or science for 
the belief that the body of man, much less his moral and 
mental nature, is the result of evolution from lower forms of 
life. Dr. Strong says: "No single instance has yet been ad- 
duced of the transformation of one animal species into another, 
either by natural or artificial selection; much less has it been 
demonstrated that the body of the brute has ever been developed 
into that of man. All evolution implies progress and reinforce- 
ment of life, and is intelligible only as the immanent God gives 



140 Outline Studies 

new impulses to the process. Apart from the direct agency 
of God, the view that man's physical system is descended by 
natural generation from some ancestral simian form can be 
regarded only as an irrational hypothesis. Since the soul, 
then, is an immediate creation of God, and the creation of 
man's body is mentioned by the Scripture writer in direct 
connection with this creation of the spirit, man's body was 
in this sense an immediate creation also." 

III. THE UNITY OF THE RACE. 

The Scriptures teach that the whole human race is 
descended from a single pair — the first pair, Adam 
and Eve: Gen. 1.27, 28; 2..y, 22; 3.20; 5.2, 3; 9.19. 

This Scriptural revelation finds a fourfold corrob- 
oration : 

1. From History. 

"So far as the history of nations and tribes in both 
hemispheres can be traced, the evidence points to a 
common origin and ancestry in Central Asia." 

2. From Language. 

"Comparative philology points to a common origin 
of all the more important languages, and furnishes 
no evidence that the less important are not so derived." 

3. From Psychology. 

"The existence, among all families of mankind, of 
common mental and moral characteristics, as evi- 
denced in common maxims, tendencies, and capacities, 



Anthropology 141 

in the prevalence of similar traditions and in the uni- 
versal applicability of our philosophy and religion, is 
most easity explained upon the theory of a common 
origin. It is probable that certain myths common to 
many nations were handed down from a time when 
the families of earth had not yet separated. Among 
these are the accounts of the making of the world and 
man, a primitive garden, innocence, a serpent, a tree 
of knowledge, a temptation and fall, a flood, sacrifice, 
etc." 

4. From Physiology. 

"All races are fruitful one with another. The 
normal temperature of the body is the same. The 
mean frequency of the pulse is the same. There is 
liability to the same diseases. These facts are not 
true of other animals ; and again, human blood can be 
distinguished by the microscope from that of any 
other animal." 

IV. THE TWIN TRUTHS. 

The origination of the race of mankind from one 
pair involves what we may call the twin truths : 

1. The organic unity of mankind in the first trans- 
gression, and of the provision of salvation for the 
race in Christ: Rom. 5.12; I Cor. 15.21, 22; Heb. 2.16. 

2. The natural brotherhood of mankind and, in 
consequence thereof, our obligation as believers to 



142 Outline Studies 

bring the knowledge of Christ and the blessings of His 
salvation to every member of the race of Adam : Acts 
17.26; Heb. 2.11; Luke 10.25-37; Matt. 28.18-20; 
Mark 16.15, 16; Luke 24.46-48; Acts 1.8; Romans 
1. 14-16. 

Note: Conservative science estimates the time of man's ap- 
pearance upon the earth at from 8,000 to 10,000 years B. C. 
Scripturally, there is nothing against this view, inasmuch as in 
the opinion of many "there is no fixed chronology before the 
time of Abraham," Archbishop Ussher's Chronology, adopted in 
our English Bibles, has no higher authority than an act of the 
British Parliament. This fixes the time of man's creation at 
B. C. 4004. 



TOPIC TWO: THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS 

OF MAN. 

I. GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that man 
as constituted by creation has a material nature and 
an immaterial nature. The material nature is his 
body. The immaterial nature consists of his soul 
and spirit. This is proved by : 

1. The record of man's creation: Gen. 2.7. 

2. Passages in which the human soul or spirit is 
distinguished, on the one hand, from the divine spirit, 
and on the other hand, from the body, which it in- 



Anthropology 143 

habits: Num. 16.22; I Cor. 2.1 1; Heb. 12.9; Gen. 35.18; 
I Kings 17.21 ; Eccles. 12.7; James 2.26. 

3. The mention of the body and soul (or spirit) as 
together constituting the whole man : Matt. 10.28 ; I 
Cor. 5.3; III John 2. 

Note: The Hebrew word commonly rendered soul is nephesh, 
and the word commonly rendered spirit is ruach. The Greek 
word commonly rendered soul is psuche; and the word com- 
monly rendered spirit is pneuma. The primary signification of 
these four words is practically identical, namely, wind, breath, 
the animating principle of a physical organism. 

II. TRICHOTOMY vs. DICHOTOMY. 

The question arises: Does the Bible teach that the 
soul and spirit of man are two separate entities, or 
two aspects of one and the same entity? (The term 
entity means thing.) Two views are held, namely: 
Trichotomy and Dichotomy. 

Note : The root of these two words is Greek, namely : temno, 
cut; dika, in two; and trika, in three. Hence, trichotomy 
means the three-part nature of man; and dichotomy, the two- 
part nature of man. 

III. THE TRICHOTOMOUS VIEW. 

This view maintains that there are three essential 
elements of humanity; namely, body, soul, and spirit. 
The body is the material part; the soul, the principle 
of animal life; and the spirit, the principle of rational 



144 Outline Studies 

and immortal life. At death the body, it is held, dis- 
integrates into dust; the soul ceases to exist; while 
the spirit alone abides, and at the resurrection is re- 
united to the glorified body. The spirit is peculiar 
to man and possesses reason, will, and conscience. 
The soul, which is possessed also by the brute crea- 
tion, is endowed with understanding, feeling, and sense 
— perception. The body, alike of man and of brute, 
is, of course, pure materiality. The above is the com- 
mon view of trichotomists. Some, however, hold that 
the soul is not a distinct entity, but a kind of resultant 
of the union of body and spirit. This is drawn from 
the language of Gen. 2.7. Others hold to a "dualism 
of being, but a trichotomy of substance." The "living 
soul" of Gen. 2.7 is described as a tertiiim quid (that 
is, a third something) attaching itself not to the body 
but to the spirit, from which it springs. "The soul 
is the effulgence of the spirit and its bond of union 
with the body." 

Trichotomists adduce the following points in sup- 
port of their position : 

1. The record of man's creation: Gen. 2.7. Here 
there seem to be three things : the body formed from 
the dust of the ground, the breath of life (Hebrew, 
lives) breathed into the nostrils, and the living soul. 

2. The song of the virgin: Luke 1.46, 47. Here 



Anthropology 145 

Mary seems to distinguish between her soul and 
spirit. 

3. Paurs prayer for the Thessalonians. Here the 
apostle prays that their "whole body and soul and 
spirit" may be "preserved blameless unto the coming 
of our Lord Jesus Christ" : I Thess. 5.23. 

4. Description of the Word of God by the writer 
to the Hebrews: Heb. 4.12. It is characterized as 
"piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and 
spirit." 

Note: Consult also these references: I Cor. 2.14: "The 
natural (Greek, soulish) man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit." I Cor. 15.44: a natural (soulish) body is contrasted 
with a spiritual body. Eph. 4.23: "That ye may be renewed in 
the spirit of your mind." And Jude 19: "Sensual (soulish) 
not having the Spirit." 

IV. THE DICHOTOMOUS VIEW. 

This view maintains that the soul and spirit are 
not two substances or parts, but that they designate 
the same immaterial principle from different stand- 
points. Dr. Strong thus states the dichotomous posi- 
tion: "The immaterial part of man, viewed as an in- 
dividual and conscious life, capable of possessing and 
animating a physical organism, is called psuche; 
viewed as a rational and moral agent, susceptible of 
divine influence and indwelling, this same immaterial 
part is called pneuma. The pneuma, then, is man's 



146 Outline Studies 

nature looking Godward, and capable of receiving 
and manifesting the Holy Spirit; the psuche is man's 
nature looking earthward, and touching the world of 
sense. The pneuma is man's higher part, as related 
to spiritual realities and as capable of such relation. 
Man's being is, therefore, not trichotomous but dichot- 
omous, and his immaterial part, while possessing 
a duality of powers, has unity of substance." 

Dichotomists adduce the following points in sup- 
port of their position : 

1. The record of man's creation: Gen. 2.7. Here, 
it is held, there are only two parts, viz : the material 
body formed of the dust of the ground and the im- 
material principle of life derived by the inbreathing 
of God. 

2. The interchangeable use of the terms soul and 
spirit: Gen. 41.8; Psa. 42.6; Matt. 20.28 (psuche); 
27.50; John 12.27; 13-21; Heb. 12.23; R^^- ^-9' 20-4- 

Note : This is true both of the living and the dead. 

3. Spirit as well as soul is used of the brute crea- 
tion: Eccles. 3.21; Rev. 16.3. (In this latter passage 
"soul" refers to fish.) 

Note: The living principle in beasts (soul or spirit) is be- 
lieved to be irrational and mortal; in man, rational and im- 
mortal. 

4. Soul is ascribed to Jehovah: Amos 6.8 (lit., by 
His soul); Jer. 9.9; Isa. 53.10-12. 



Anthropology 147 

5. The highest exercises of religion are ascribed 
to the soul: Mark 12.30; Luke 1.46; Heb. 6.18, 19; 
James 1.21. 

6. To lose the soul is to lose all : Mark 8.36, 37. 

Note: The witness of consciousness corroborates the di- 
chotomous position ; when we look within ourselves, we can 
distinguish the material part (the body) from the immaterial 
part — but the consciousness of no one can discriminate between 
soul and spirit. 

Conclusion : In view of these two classes of strong 
passages, it would seem that the teaching of the Scrip- 
tures as to the unity or duality of the soul and spirit of 
man is inconclusive. Accordingly, upon this question as 
upon all other questions which the Bible leaves in uncer- 
tainty, it is the wiser and safer course not to dogmatize. 
Moreover, as Dr. Miley well says: "The question, that 
is, as to trichotomy and dichotomy, does not seriously 
concern any important truth of Christian theology." 

Note: As to the origin of the soul there are three theories, 
viz : preexistence, creationism, and traducianism. The first 
theory, which explains itself, is wholly without Scriptural found- 
ation. In support of the second theory, which also explains 
itself, the following passages are adduced : Eccles. 12.7 ; 
Isa. 57.16; Zech, 12. i; Heb. 12.9. The traducian theory is 
that "the human race was immediately created in Adam, and, 
as respects both body and soul, was propagated from him by 
natural generation — all souls since Adam being only mediately 
(that is, indirectly) created by God, as the upholder of the 
laws of propagation which were originally established by Him." 



14B Outline Studies 

This view accords best with Scripture, which "represents God 
as creating the species in Adam, Gen. 1.27, and as increasing 
and perpetuating it through secondary agencies, Gen. 1.22, 28. 
Only once is the breath of life breathed into man's nostrils, 
Gen. 2.7, 22; 4.1; 5.3; 46.26; Acts 17.21-26; I Cor. 11.8; Heb. 
7.10, and after man's formation God rested from His work 
of creation, Gen. 2.2." Again, this view is favored by "the 
analogy of vegetable and animal life, in which increase of num- 
bers is secured, not by a multiplicity of immediate creations, 
but by the natural derivation of new individuals from the par- 
ent stock. A derivation of the human soul from its parents no 
more implies a materialistic view of the soul and its endless 
division and subdivision, than the similar derivation of the 
brute proves the principle of intelligence in the lower animals 
to be wholly material." Again, this view finds support in the 
"observed transmission not merely of physical, but of mental 
and spiritual characteristics in families and races, and especially 
the uniform evil moral tendencies and dispositions which all 
men possess from their birth." 



TOPIC THREE: THE MORAL NATURE OF 

MAN. 

I. DEFINITION. 

By the moral nature of man is meant those powers 
which fit him for right or wrong action. These pow- 
ers are intellect, sensibility, and will, together with 
conscience and free agency. 

Says Dr. Strong: "In order to moral action, man 
has intellect, or reason, to discern the difference be- 
tween right and wrong; sensibility, to be moved by 



Anthropology 149 

each of these; free will (or free agency), to do the 
one or the other. Intellect, sensibility, and will are 
man's three faculties. But in connection with these 
faculties there is a sort of activity which involves 
them all, and without which there can be no moral 
action, namely, the activity of conscience. Con- 
science applies the moral law to particular cases in 
our personal experience, and proclaims that law as 
binding upon us. Only a rational and sentient being 
can be truly moral.'' 

II. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS, 

Assuming the threefold powers of intellect, sensi- 
bility, and will, as belonging to man's personality, the 
essential elements of his moral nature are two, viz: 
conscience and free agency. 

A. Conscience. 

I. Definition. 

Conscience comes from the Latin conscientia, 
which is compounded of con, with, or together, and 
scientia, knowing skill, or science. The Greek word 
for conscience is suneideesis, signifying a copercep- 
tion or coknowledge. Sun in suneideesis is the 
equivalent of con in conscientia, and is commonly 
expressed in English by the prefix co, meaning with, 
or together. 



150 Outline Studies 

2. Nature. 

Some regard conscience as a separate faculty — the 
faculty of moral obligation, which gives us the feeling 
of "I ought," or "I ought not." It has been called the 
voice of God in the soul of man. Others regard con- 
science as rather the response, so to speak, of the en- 
tire personaHty to an accepted and authoritative 
standard of duty. This latter view we take to be the 
correct one. 

3. Contents. 

A mental analysis of conscience discloses the fol- 
lowing constituent elements : 

a. Self-consciousness. 

Primarily conscience is a knowledge of self — to- 
gether with intellectual and emotional states and voli- 
tional acts. This is the meaning of Hebrews 10.2. 

b. Knowledge of a standard of duty, or the moral 
law. 

At this point conscience touches the moral reason. 
The working of conscience calls for some known ob- 
jective standard of moral conduct, with reference 
to which the quality of states and actions 
may be discriminated and judged accordingly as 
right or wrong. This standard of moral conduct 
may be imperfect; but such as it is the con- 
science will respond to it in approval or dis- 
approval. This we take to be the meaning of 



Anthropology 151 

Rom. 2.13-15. Again, the standard of moral conduct 
may be erroneous; but if accepted as authoritative 
the conscience will respond to it in approval or dis- 
approval. Illustration : The Indian mother who from 
religious belief throws her babe into the river Ganges. 
For this reason the conscience, we say, needs enlight- 
ening; but what we mean is that the moral reason 
(that is, the reason controlled by the moral nature) 
needs enlightenment. The true standard of conduct, 
of course, is the moral law of God, in part engraved 
upon our hearts but revealed fully in the sacred 
Scriptures. Very many of the Lord's people lack 
full Scriptural enlightenment upon the question of 
Christian duty and privilege, and as a consequence 
their consciences are *'weak" and easily become **de- 
filed": I Cor. 8.7-13; Titus 1.15. 

c. Knowledge of conformity or non-conformity to 
a standard of duty, or the moral law. 

This is the exercise of self-examination. It is the 
correlation of the first two elements of conscience — 
the knowing of self in relation to a testing law of 
duty. Applying this accepted and authoritative law 
of duty to concrete cases in our own experience, we 
discern and pronounce our states and acts — past, 
present, and future — as right or wrong. 

d. Remorse or complacency in view of conformity 
or non-conformity to a standard of duty, or the moral 
law. 



152 Outline Studies 

This is the exercise of self-judgment. Having by 
self-examination discerned and pronounced our states 
and acts to be right or wrong with reference to the 
standard of the moral law, we commend or condemn 
ourselves accordingly. In the former case there is 
an instinctive sense of God's favor with a correspond- 
ing expectation of blessing; while in the latter case 
there is an instinctive sense of God's disfavor with a 
corresponding realization of being deserving of pun- 
ishment. This is what is meant by having, on the one 
hand, a '"good" or "pure" conscience, or a conscience 
"void of offense toward God and toward men" : Acts 
24.16; I Tim. 1.5; 3.9; and, on the other hand, an 
"evil" conscience or a conscience "seared with a hot 
iron": Heb. 10.22; I Tim. 4.2. 

B. Free Agency. 

1. Definition. 

By free agency, or the freedom of the will, is meant 
the power of rational and responsible personal choice 
with respect to character and conduct. 

2. Contents. 

In free agency there are four constituent elements, 
viz : a purposive end, a motive state, a rational judg- 
ment, and an elective decision. 

a. A purposive end. 

All intelligent and responsible action is taken with 



Anthropology 153 

reference to some end in view — the attainment of a 
purpose through the use of appropriate means. 

b. A motive state. 

All action looking to a rational end or responsible 
purpose is influenced by motives, and motives pro- 
duce states of mind and heart corresponding to them. 
Such are called motive states. 

c. A rational judgment. 

We have power over our motives and their cor- 
responding motive states. Herein is the fundamental 
and essential fact of free agency. We can choose our 
course of action in accordance with the strongest 
motive or the weakest motive present to the mind at 
any given time ; or we can suspend choice altogether, 
while by reflection and deliberation we bring into men- 
tal view other facts and considerations, having the 
force of new motives and producing corresponding 
new motive states, out of which in turn may spring 
personal choice and consequent action wholly differ- 
ent from what was at first contemplated. A denial 
of this power over or contrary to motives is a denial 
of free agency, or the freedom of the will. 

d. An elective decision. 

This is the actual exercise of the power of choice 
with respect to motives. Dr. Miley says : *'The ra- 
tional judgment does not include the elective decision. 
, , . In the judgment we estimate the value and 



154 Outline Studies 

character of the end, while in the elective decision 
we determine our action respecting its attainment. 
The act of judgment is complete before the elective 
decision is made. The judgment, however, is neces- 
sary to the rational character of the choice and, there- 
fore, the choice itself, which in the very nature of it 
must have a reason for itself." 

Dr. Strong thus states the question of free agency : 
"Free agency is the power of self-determination in 
view of motives, or man's power (i) to choose be- 
tween motives, and (2) to direct his subsequent ac- 
tivity according to the motive thus chosen. Motives 
are never a cause, but only an occasion; they in- 
fluence, but never compel ; the man is the cause, and 
herein is his freedom. But it is also true that man is 
never in a state of indeterminateness ; never acts with- 
out motive, or contrary to all motives; there is al- 
ways a reason why he acts and herein is his ra- 
tionality." 

Note: Opposed to free agency, or the freedom of the will, 
are two theories which are forms of necessitarianism, or the 
doctrine of necessity. These are fatalism and determinism. 
Fatalism admits the certainty, but denies the freedom of human 
self-determination — thus substituting fate for providence. "Un- 
der the sway of fate,' says Dr. Miley, '*all things are absolutely 
determined; so that they could not but be, nor be other than 
they are. Fate binds in equal chains of necessity all things 
and events, all intelligences, thoughts, feelings, volitions, and 
even God Himself — if there be a God, Materialism and panthe- 
ism are fatalistic in character." Determinism holds that choice 



Anthropology 155 

is always in accordance with the stronger or strongest motive 
present before the mind at any given time. Just as the heavier 
pan of the scales descends, so the weightier motive controls 
personal action. Determinism denies the power to suspend 
choice in the presence of motives, or to choose contrary to 
motives present at any time before the mind. 



TOPIC FOUR: THE IMAGE OF GOD IN 

MAN. 

I. GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that 
man was created in the image and likeness of God: 
Gen. 1.26, 27; 5.1; 9.6; I Cor. 11.7; Col. 3.10. See also 
II Cor. 4.4; Col. 1. 15; Heb. 1.3. 

Note : The Hebrew word rendered "image" signifies shadow 
and the Hebrew word rendered "likeness" signifies resemblance. 
The Greek word rendered "image" means an outline resem^ 
blance, i. e., a profile. In Heb. 1.3 a different Greek word is 
used, meaning an exact copy or an engraving. Attempts to find 
an essential distinction in meaning between "image" and "like- 
ness" must fail; they are substantially identical. Thus Dr. 
Strong stays: "Both (i. e. words) together signify 'the very 
image.' " And commenting on the force of both terms, Camp- 
bell Morgan writes : "Perhaps the simplest exposition of the 
thought would be gained by the contemplation of the 
shadow of a man cast upon some white background, by the 
shining of a great light. What the shadow would be to the 
man, the man would be to God. Like and unlike, suggesting 
an idea, but by no means explaining the mystery, impossible 
apart from the substance, yet infinitely less in essence than the 



156 Outline Studies 

substance. Man no more perfectly expresses all the facts con> 
ceming God than does the shadow those concerning man. Nev» 
ertheless, the shadow is the image of the man, and indicates 
the truth concerning him." ("The Crises of the Christ," pp. 25, 
26.) 

II. CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS. 

The image of God in man is twofold, namely : Nat- 
ural likeness, or Personality; and Moral likeness, or 
Holiness. 

I. Natural Likeness, or Personality. 

Personality, as we have seen, consists of intellect, 
or the power of thinking; sensibility, or the power of 
feeling; and volition, or the power of willing. To 
complete the idea we must, however, add three other 
elements : self-consciousness, conscience, and free 
moral agency. 

Dr. Strong says: "By virtue of this personality, 
man could at his creation choose which of the objects 
of his knowledge — self, the world, or God — would be 
the norm and center of his development. This like- 
ness to God is inalienable (that is, it cannot be lost), 
and as constituting a capacity for redemption gives 
value to the life even of the unregenerate" : Gen. 9.6 ; 
I Cor. 1 1.7; James 3.9. 

Note: Dr. Farr says: "Man cannot lose this likeness 
(that is, the natural likeness or personaHty), or element of the 
divine image, without ceasing to be man. Insanity can only ob- 
scure it. Bernard said that it could not be burned out even in 



Anthropology 157 

hell The lost piece of money, Luke 15.8, still bore the image 
and superscription of the king, although it did not know it 
and did not know that it was lost. Human nature is, therefore, 
to be reverenced. He who destroyed human life was put to death: 
Gen. 9.6. Even men whom we curse are made after the like- 
ness of God : Psalm 8.5 ; James 3.9." 

2. Moral Likeness, or Holiness. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that by 
creation man was pure, upright, and holy: Eccle. 7.29; 
Eph. 4.24; Col. 3.10. This holiness, or righteousness, 
which constituted man's moral likeness to God, was 
forfeitable (that is, it could be lost) and it was for- 
feited or lost by the original sin: Eph. 4.23, 24; Col. 
3.10. 

a. Its Nature. 

The nature of the original righteousness, or holiness, 
is to be viewed : 

1. Not as constituting the essence, or substance, of 
human nature; for in that case, as Dr. Strong says, 
"human nature would have ceased to exist as soon 
as man sinned." "Nature" comes from the Latin natura 
(nascor, to be born). Sin can properly be called a na- 
ture only in the sense of its being inborn, i. e., in the 
race of Adam. "Disposition" would be a synonymous 
expression. 

2. Not as a gift from without, foreign to human 
nature and added to it after man's creation; for man 
possessed the divine image by creation and not by 



158 Outline Studies 

subsequent bestowal. Dr. Farr says: *'Adam was 
created with a holy nature, i. e., tendencies toward 
God, as all men since are born with a sinful nature, 
i. e., tendencies away from God." ^ 

3. In distinction from these negative theories, the 
original righteousness, or holiness, consisted, in the 
language of Dr. Strong, in a "direction or tendency 
of man's affections and will, still accompanied by the 
power of evil choice, and so, differing from the per- 
fect holiness of the saints as instinctive affection and 
childlike innocence differ from the holiness that has 
been developed and confirmed by experience of temp- 
tation." The same author continues : *Tt was a moral 
disposition, moreover, which was propagable to 
Adam's descendants, if it were retained, and which, 
though lost to him and to them, if Adam sinned, 
would still leave man possessed of a natural likeness 
to God which made him susceptible to God's redeem- 
ing grace." 

Note: Another way of putting it would be that by creation 
man had a holy nature in distinction from a holy character 
What is meant is that through birth (m the original instance 
through creation) a nature, or disposition, may be received, 
while character is the outgrov^th and development only of moral 
probation, i. e., by the exercise of the power of free moral 
choice in the presence of good and evil. Two facts should 
be added : the first is that this holy nature was more than in- 
nocence; it was a positive likeness to God in rectitude and 
purity. The other fact is that righteousness, or holiness, both 
of nature and of character has two sides: it is a knowledge 



Anthropology 159 

and perception as well as an inclination and feeling: Col. 3.10. 

b. Two Erroneous Views. 

Of man's original state two erroneous views are 
held: 

I. The image of God included only personality. 

"This theory," says Dr. Strong, "denies that any posi- 
tive determination to virtue inhered originally in 
man's nature, and regards man at the beginning as 
simply possessed of spiritual powers, perfectly ad- 
justed to each other." 

There are three objections: 

(a.) It really makes Adam the author of his own 
holiness. But this is contrary to analogy; for our 
sinful condition is not the product of our individual 
wills but rather the result of the first transgression : 
and our subsequent condition of holiness is not the 
product of our individual wills but rather the result 
of God's regenerating and sanctifying power. 

(b.) Knowledge, which was an element of man's 
holy nature, logically presupposes "a direction toward 
God of man's affections and will ; since only the heart 
can have any proper understanding of the God of 
hoUness" (Strong). 

(c.) A likeness to God in personality alone does 
not satisfy the demands of Scripture, in which "the 
ethical conception of the divine nature so overshadows 
the merely natural" (Strong). 



i6o Outline Studies 

2. The image of God consists simply of man's nat- 
ural capacity for religion. 

This is the view of the Roman Catholic Church. A 
distinction in meaning is made between image and 
likeness. The former alone was man's by creation; 
the latter was the product of his own acts of obedi- 
ence. Dr. Strong thus elaborates the idea: *Tn order 
that this obedience might be made easier and the con- 
sequent likeness to God more sure, a third element 
was added — an element not belonging to man's nature 
— namely, a supernatural gift of special grace, which 
acted as a curb upon the sensuous impulses, and 
brought them under the control of reason. Original 
righteousness was therefore not a natural endowment, 
but a joint product of man's obedience and of God's 
supernatural grace." 

There are three objections: 

(a.) There is no real distinction in meaning be- 
tween "image" and "likeness." 

(b.) Whatever be denoted by "image" and "like- 
ness," either singly or together, was conferred upon 
man in and by his creation. "Man is said to have 
been created in the image and likeness of God, not to 
have been afterwards endowed with either of them." 

(c.) The theory is in direct contradiction to the 
Scriptures, in that it makes the first sin to have been 
a weakening but not a perversion of human nature, 
and the work of regeneration to be not a renewal of 



Anthropology i6i 

the affections but merely a strengthening of the nat- 
ural powers. "The theory," says Dr. Strong, "re- 
gards the first sin as simply despoiling man of a 
special gift of grace and as putting him where he 
was when first created — still able to obey God and 
cooperate with God for his salvation, whereas Scrip- 
ture represents man since the fall as 'dead through 
trespasses and sins,' Eph. 2.1; as incapable of true 
obedience, Rom. 8.7, 'not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be'; and as needing to be 'created 
in Christ Jesus for good works,' Eph. 2.10." 

III. RESULTS. 

Man's possession of the divine image and likeness 
resulted in four things: 

I. His physical form was a reflection of an original 
and heavenly type. 

It is true that by His incarnation Christ took our 
nature: Jno. 1.14; Gal. 4.4; Heb. 2.14. But it is also 
true that by his creation man was moulded after a di- 
vine pattern even as to his body: Ezek. 1.26. In like 
manner the tabernacle was modelled after a heavenly 
pattern: Ex. 25.40; Num. 8.4; Heb. 8.1-5. Dr. 
Strong says : "Even in man's body were typified those 
higher attributes which chiefly constituted his like- 
ness to God. A gross perversion of this truth, how- 
ever, is the view which holds, upon the ground of 



i62 Outline Studies 

Gen. 2.7 and 3.8, that the image of God consists in 
bodily resemblance to the Creator. In the first of these 
passages, it is not the divine image, but the body, 
that is formed of dust, and into this body the soul 
that possesses the divine image is breathed. The sec- 
ond of these passages is to be interpreted by those other 
portions of the Pentateuch in which God is repre- 
sented as free from all limitations of matter: Gen. 
11.5; 18.1-5." 

2. His sensuous impulses were in subjection to the 
spirit. 

Dr. Strong says: "Here we are to hold a middle 
ground between two extremes. On the one hand, the 
first man possessed a body and a spirit so fitted to each 
other that no conflict was felt between their several 
claims. On the other hand, this physical perfection 
was not final and absolute, but relative and provi- 
sional. There was still room for progress to a higher 
state of being: Gen. 3.22." 

3. He had dominion over the lower creation : Gen. 
1.26, 28; Psalm 8.5-8. 

Adam was the crown of creation. Having a perfect 
mind, he was not dependent upon the laborious proc- 
esses of inductive and deductive reasoning in the 
acquisition of knowledge, but had immediate and in- 
tuitive insight into truth. Of this there are two 



Anthropology 163 

proofs: first, his naming of the animals: Gen. 2.19, 20. 
Evidently, Adam had insight into the nature and hab- 
its of each animal and gave it a narne corresponding 
to these. Second, his naming of his helpmeet : Gen. 
2.23, 24; 3.20. Adam first called her v^oman because 
she v^^as taken out of him. In English there is no 
connection between the words man and woman, but 
in Hebrew the connection is very close. In that lan- 
guage "man" is ish, and "woman" is isha. That is, 
literally, woman is the manness, or female man. 
Woman is not, as has been suggested, man's woe, 
but rather his woo. Next, Adam called his helpmeet 
Eve, because she was the mother of all living. "Eve" 
signifies living. Thus on the one hand, the name 
"woman" reflected her origin, and on the other hand, 
the name "Eve" reflected her destiny. Of the woman's 
creation Matthew Henry says : "Not out of his head 
to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled on by 
him; but out of his side to be equal with him, under 
his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to 
be beloved." 

Note: Man's dominion over the lower creation involves his 
absolute separation from the animal kingdom — in origin, asso- 
ciation, and destiny. A beast cannot ascend to the level of a 
man, but a man can easily descend to the level of a beast: 
Psalm 49.10; Prov. 30.2; Jer. 10.21; II Peter 2.12. By the 
law of Moses defilement with beasts was punishable by death: 
Lev. 20.15, 16. 



164 Outline Studies 

4. He had communion with God: Gen. 3.8, 9. 

Dr. Strong says: "Our first parents enjoyed the 
divine presence and teaching: Gen. 2.16. It would 
seem that God manifested Himself to them in visible 
form: Gen. 3.8. This companionship was both in 
kind and degree suited to their spiritual capacity, and 
by no means necessarily involved that perfected vision 
of God which is possible to beings of confirmed and 
unchanging hoHness : Matt. 5.8; I John 3.2; Rev. 
22.4." 



TOPIC FIVE: THE PROBATION OF MAN. 

I. GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The Scriptures teach that after his creation God 
placed man in a garden in Eden and subjected him to 
a state of probation : Gen. 2.8-17. 

Note: Eden signifies pleasure, delight. Its exact site cannot 
be determined. Speaking generally, its location must have been 
in the Mesopotamian valley, near the head-waters of the Tigris 
and Euphrates. The wildest theories have been advanced as 
to where the Garden of Eden was. There is a serious book 
written by a serious scholar, called "Paradise Found," claiming 
that the Garden of Eden was at the North Pole. However, 
unless revolutionary topological and climatic changes have oc- 
curred, Peary's discovery exploded this theory. 



Anthropology 165 

II. DEFINITION OF PROBATION. 

Probation, from a Latin word signifying to prove 
or test, is a period of trial under a law of duty, which 
is the test of obedience and is enforced by the sanc- 
tions of reward for a right choice and good conduct, 
and punishment for a wrong choice and evil conduct. 

Miley says : "Probation is a temporary economy. 
Its central reality is responsibility for conduct under 
a law of duty." 

III. NECESSITY OF PROBATION. 

While our first parents were created with holy 
natures, whose fluctuating emotions and spontaneous 
tendencies were wholly toward the good, yet they 
were susceptible to temptation from without. Conse- 
quently, a period of probation was essential in order 
to test their loyalty to God by obedience or disobe- 
dience to His command. Thus our divine Lord was 
likewise susceptible to temptation from without, from 
the reality and power of which He keenly suffered : 
Heb. 2.18; 9.14. 

Note: Dr. Miley says: "With a holy nature, there were yet 
susceptibilities to temptation. In temptation there is an impulse 
in the susceptibilities adverse to the law of duty. This is true 
even Avhere it finds no response in the personal consciousness. 
Yet, in the measure of it, such impulse is a trial to obedience. 
The proof of it is in a primitive constitution with susceptibilities 
which might be the means of temptation. These facts are en- 



i66 Outline Studies 

tirely consistent with the primitive holiness which we have 
maintained. In such a state primitive man began his moral life. 
The only way to confirmed blessedness was through temporary 
obedience. But obedience requires a law of duty, and, with 
the natural incidence of trial and the possibility of failure, 
such a law must be a testing law. It thus appears that a pro- 
bationary economy was the only one at all suited to the state 
of primitive man." 

IV. PURPOSE OF PROBATION. 

The purpose of the probation of our first parents 
w^as, so to speak, to test their virtue — to transform 
their holy natures into holy characters. As has been 
pointed out, a moral nature is the result of creation, or 
birth ; but moral character is produced only by proba- 
tion, by the free personal choice of good in the pres- 
ence of evil and with full power to choose evil. Now 
Adam and Eve were created with holy moral natures. 
A right choice — that is, obedience to God's command 
— would have transformed these holy moral natures 
into holy moral characters. As it was, however, their 
wrong choice — that is, disobedience to the command 
— transformed their holy moral natures into sinful 
moral characters, and involved both themselves and 
their posterity in the guilt of sin and the defilement of 
depravity. 

V. THE PROBATIONARY LAW. 

The probationary or testing law is recorded in Gen, 



Anthropology 167 

2.16b, 17: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest 
freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that 
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." 

In character this probationary or testing law was 
positive, not moral. The difference is that while "the 
obligation of a moral law is intrinsic and absolute, 
the obligation of a positive law arises from a divine 
commandment." In other words, a moral command 
carries its own reason for obedience, but a positive 
command does not. Thus, the ten commandments 
are moral in character, because we are so constituted 
as to understand their reasonableness and realize their 
necessity. For, the ten commandments are not right 
because they were given of God ; they were given of 
God because they were right. On the other hand, 
God's call to Abraham to offer up Isaac (Gen. 22) was 
a positive command, because Abraham did not un- 
derstand its reasonableness or realize its necessity. 
Another name for positive command is personal com- 
mand. Now, it is of the very essence of moral proba- 
tion that the testing law should be a positive or per- 
sonal command, the reasonableness and necessity of 
which are not made known to the one who is subjected 
to the probation. In the case of our first parents, as 
we have seen, the probationary law was a positive 
or personal command. It was God's right to com- 
mand : it was the duty of Adam and Eve to obey. 



I 



i68 Outline Studies 

Note: Dr. Strong says: "Since man was not yet in a state 
of confirmed holiness, but rather of simple childlike innocence, 
he could be made perfect only through temptation. Hence 
the 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil* : Gen. 2.9. The 
one slight command best tested the spirit of obedience. Tempta- 
tion did not necessitate a fall. If resisted, it would strengthen 
virtue. In that case, the posse non pecarre would have be- 
come the non posse pecarre. (That is, the ability not to sin 
would have become the inability to sin.) The tree was mainly 
a tree of probation. It is right for a father to make his son's 
title to his estate depend upon the performance of some filial 
duty, as Thaddeus Stevens made his son's possession of prop- 
erty conditional upon his keeping the temperance-pledge. 
Whether, besides this, the tree of knowledge was naturally hurt- 
ful or poisonous, we do not know." 

VI. REASONABLENESS OF PROBATION. 

The reasonableness of the primitive probation is 
seen from the following facts: 

1. In the love and wisdom of God, who could not 
and would not have subjected our first parents to any 
state of trial or probationary test which was not for 
their highest development and eternal welfare and 
consequently absolutely necessary. Therefore the 
prohibition of Gen. 2.17 must have been just, wise, 
and good. 

2. In the manifold source of delight and satisfac- 
tion which were provided for Adam and Eve by their 
Maker: Gen. 2.9. They had everything. 



Anthropology 169 

TOPIC SIX: THE TEMPTATION OF MAN. 

I. GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that our 
first parents were tempted to sin by disobeying God's 
positive command: Gen. 3.1-6; II Cor. 11.3; I Tim. 
2.14. 

II. THE INSTRUMENT. 

The instrument in the temptation of our first par- 
ents was the serpent: Gen. 3.1, 4, 5; II Cor. 11.3. 

Note: The serpent is included among the beasts. He is de- 
scribed as being more subtile than them all. The Hebrew word 
translated subtile signifies crafty or cunning. It is not unlikely 
that originally the serpent was a very beautiful creature; and 
he seems to have possessed the power of upright locomotion: 
Gen. 3.14. 

TIL THE HIGHER AGENT. 

The higher agent in the temptation of our first par- 
ents was Satan : Rev. 12.9. 

Note: The devil used the serpent as an instrument in tempt- 
ing Adam and Eve. Thus back of this "beast of the neld" was 
a higher, even a supernatural intelligence. God's curse upon the 
serpent makes this fact unmistakable: Gen. 3.14, 15, — ^partic- 
ularly the latter verse. 



170 Outline Studies 

IV. THE THREEFOLD FORM. 

Notice that the serpent approached the woman in 
two ways : first, by an affirmation followed by an in- 
terrogation, *'Yea, hath God said," etc.: Gen. 3.1. So 
he approached Jesus with an insinuation, "If thou be 
the Son of God," etc. : Matt. 4.3. The writhing shape 
of the serpent is not unsuggestive of a question mark. 
Second, he made a flat contradiction of God's Word, 
"Ye shall not surely die" : Gen. 3.4. 

But in particular notice that in form the tempta- 
tion of our first parents was threefold : 

1. The Physical Nature. 

Satan first attacked Eve through her body. He 
showed her that the tree was "good for food" : Gen. 
3.6a. 

2. The Psychical Nature. 

Satan next attacked Eve through her mind. He 
showed her that the tree was "pleasant (Heb. a desire) 
to the eyes" : Gen. 3.6b. 

3. Satan finally attacked her soul, or spirit. He 
showed her that the tree was "to be desired to make 
one wise" : Gen 3.6c. 

Note: In the wilderness Satan patterned his temptation of 
Jesus after his temptation of our first parent. See Matt. 
4.1-11; Luke 4.1-13. We follow the order of Luke, whose 
Gospel is chronologically arranged. There we notice — as 



Anthropology 171 

also in Matthew's account — that Christ's body was first at- 
tacked: in His intense hunger He was bidden to make bread 
of the stones at His feet. Next Christ's mind was attacked: 
the vision of all the kingdoms of the world was an appeal to 
His ambition to make Himself a universal ruler, as Alexander 
the Great, Caesar, and Hannibal had aspired to be. Finally, 
Christ's soul, or spirit, was attacked: from the pinnacle of the 
temple He was bidden, as the favorite of heaven, to hurl Him- 
self into the abyss m presumptuous defiance alike of gravitation 
and Providence. But again, Satan tempts the children of God 
today, as he tempted Eve and Jesus. In I John 2.16 we find 
the same threefold attack: (i) 'The lust of the flesh"; (2) 
"the lust of the eyes"; (3) "the pride, or vain glory, of life." 
We may call this the trinity of evil. 



TOPIC SEVEN: THE FALL OF MAN. 

GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that 
Adam and Eve fell from their first estate, in sinning 
against God by disobeying His positive and personal 
command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of 
good and evil: Gen. 3.6b; Rom. 5.12, 19; I Tim. 2.14. 
This w^as the first or ''original sin." 

Note : Dr. Torrey points out five steps leading to the first sin : 

1. Listening to slanders against God. 

2. Doubting His Word and love. 

3. Looking at what God had forbidden. 

4. Lusting for what God had prohibited. 

5. Disobeying God's command. 



iy2 Outline Studies 

As Dr. Strong says: "The first sin was in Eve's isolating her- 
self and choosing to seek her own pleasure without regard to 
God's will. This initial selfishness it was which led her to 
listen to the tempter instead of rebuking him or flying from 
him, and to exaggerate the divine command in her response: 
Gen. 3.3. . . . This was followed by positive unbelief, and by 
a conscious and presumptuous cherishing of desire for the for- 
bidden fruit as a means of independence and knowledge. Thus, 
unbelief, pride, and lust all sprang from the self-isolating, self- 
seeking spirit, and fastened upon the means of gratifying it: 
Gen. 3.6." In this connection we may notice the apostle James' 
account of the origin, development, and fruition of sin: Jas. 
1.13-15. 

The consequences of sin were manifold and varied; 
we may notice them under four topics as follows: 
The Immediate Effects of Sin; The Fourfold Divine 
Judgment ; The Threefold Separation ; and The Three- 
fold Death. 

I. THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF SIN, 

The immediate effects of sin (Gen. 3.7-13) were 
six in number, viz : 

1. A sense of shame. 

This was due to the awakening of conscience. 

2. The covering of fig leaves. 

This was a bloodless covering. See Gen. 3.21 ; 
Phil. 3.9. 

3. A feeling of fear. 

This arose from their guilty conscience. 



Anthropology 173 

4. An attempt at concealment. 

Foolishly Adam and Eve supposed that they could 
hide from the presence of God. 

5. An effort at self-vindication. 

Though guilty, yet Adam and Eve tried to justify 
themselves. 

6. The shifting of blame. 

Adam laid the blame for his sin upon Eve, and Eve 
laid the blame for her sin upon the serpent, i. e., Satan. 

11. THE FOURFOLD DIVINE JUDGMENT. 

After this painful scene the Lord God pronounced 
a fourfold judgment: Gen. 3. 14-19. This was: — 

1. Upon the serpent. 

This was the curse of degradation: Micah 7.17. 

Note: During the Millennium the curse upon the serpent 
will not be removed, for the serpent is the type of Satan : Isa. 65.25. 

2. Upon the woman. 

This was the judgment of sorrow and subjection: 
John 16.21. 

Note: The blessing of the Gospel mitigates the rigor of the 
law: I Tim. 2.15. 

3. Upon the man. 

This was the judgment of sorrow and toil: Job 5.7; 
Eccle. 2.22, 23. 



174 Outline Studies 

Note: Work is a blessing and not a curse: Gen. 2.9, 15. It is 
only the curse resting upon the ground which makes man's 
labor vexatious and unremunerative. 

4. Upon the ground. 

This was the curse of thorns and thistles. 

Note: Like the serpent, the thorn is the natural enemy of 
man: Matt. 7.16. It is used in Scripture as a symbol of evil: 
Num. 33.55; II Cor. 12.7. Our Lord's mock crown was com- 
posed of thorns: John 19.2, 5. During the Millennium the 
curse upon the ground will be removed : Isaiah 55.13. 

III. THE THREEFOLD SEPARATION. 

The fourfold divine judgment resulted in a three- 
fold separation: Gen. 3.22-24. Thus Adam and Eve 
were separated: — 

I. From the tree of life. 

Note: The tree of life represents wisdom: Prov. 3.18. Wis- 
dom personified is Christ: I Cor. 1.24. So the tree of life was 
an emblem of Christ: Rev. 2.7; 22.14. Adam's body was mortal: 
Gen. 2.7; I Cor. 15.44, 45» 47- Science teaches us that physical 
life involves decay and loss. There was, however, a divine 
provision for checking this decay and loss, and preserving the 
body's youth. This was by means of the tree of life. It ac- 
complished this through its sacramental value; that is, eating 
of this tree was symbolical of the communion of Adam and 
Eve with God and of their dependence upon Him. But this 
only because it had a physical efficacy. Physical immortality 
without holiness would have been unending misery. Accord- 
ingly, our first parents were shut out from the tree of life, until 



Anthropology 175 

by redemption and resurrection such of their descendants as ac- 
cept Christ can be prepared to partake thereof. Thus, our 
glorified bodies will be preserved throughout eternity by eating 
of the tree of life which is typical of our blessed Lord Himself : 
Rev. 2.'j\ 22.14. Physical decay and loss, which ended in the 
death of their bodies, began the instant Adam and Eve were 
denied access to the tree of life. The nine hundred and thirty 
years Adam lived, as also the extraordinary longevity of the 
antediluvians, is evidence of their wonderful natural vitality. 
"If Adam had maintained his integrity, the body might have 
been developed and transfigured without the intervention of 
death. In other words, the posse non mori (that is, able not 
to die) might have become a non posse mori (that is, not able 
to die)" (Strong). In his "Crises of the Christ" Campbell Mor- 
gan treats the transfiguration of Christ as the flowering of hu- 
manity; he regards it as God's demonstration of the fruition 
of the body — if there had been no sin. 

2. From the Garden of Eden. 

The only way to make the exclusion of Adam and 
Eve from the tree of life effective was to drive them 
from the Garden of Eden. And this the LORD God 
did, sending man forth "to till the ground from 
whence he was taken." 

3. From the personal and visible presence of God. 

Sin separates man from God, — and it is the only 
thing that can separate man from God. When Adam 
and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the 
LORD God, it was because their sin with its result- 
ing guilt and shame had morally unfitted them for 
personal and face-to-face communion and fellowship 



176 Outline Studies 

with their Maker. Separation from the Garden of 
Eden, therefore, simply sealed the spiritual separation 
of man from God which sin had already brought 
about. Henceforth, our first parents and their poster- 
ity had only a symbolical representation of Deity: the 
cherubim and the flaming sword placed at the east 
of the Garden of Eden were the visible manifesta- 
tion of the LORD God. Thither the godly antedi- 
luvians came to worship and sacrifice: for there is no 
evidence that these primitive types of the presence 
and power, the mercy and redeeming grace of God, 
did not remain until swept away by the flood. 

Note: The flaming sword (3.24) was the first appearance of 
that self-luminous flame which, as the Shekinah glory, rested 
over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and 
the temple. 

IV. THE THREFOLD DEATH. 

In connection with the prohibition to eat of the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil the LORD God said, 
"In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
die" (Ht. dying thou shalt die) : Gen. 2.17. 

This death, which was the result of sin, was three- 
fold, viz : physical, spiritual, and eternal. 

I. Physical death. 

Physical death is the separation of the soul from 
the body. It includes, according to Dr. Strong, "all 



Anthropology 177 

those temporal evils and sufferings which result from 
disturbance of the original harmony between soul and 
body, and which are the working of death in us": 
Num. 16.29; 27.3; Psalm 90.7-9, 11 ; Isa. 38.17, 18; 
Rom. 4.24, 25; 6.9, 10; 8.3, 10, 11; I Cor. 15.21, 22; 
Gal. 3.13; I Peter 4.6. 

Note: Some regard physical death as a part of the penalty 
of sin, while others regard it as rather the natural consequence 
of sin. In either view, it seems to be clear that weakness and 
disease followed by death resulted primarily from the exclusion 
of Adam and Eve from the tree of life. 

2. Spiritual death. 

Spiritual death is the separation of the spirit from 
God. It includes, according to Dr. Strong, "all that 
pain of conscience, loss of peace, and sorrow of spirit, 
which result from the disturbance of the normal re- 
lation between the soul and God" : Matt. 8.22 ; Luke 
15.32; John 5.24; 8.51; Rom. 8.13; Eph. 2.1; 5.14; 
I Tim. 5.6; James 5.20; I John 3.14. 

Note: Dr. Strong says: "It cannot be doubted that the 
penalty pronounced in the Garden and fallen upon the race is 
primarily and mainly that death of the soul which consists in 
its separation from God. In this sense only, death was fully 
visited upon Adam in the day on which he ate the forbidden 
fruit: Gen. 2.17. In this sense only, death is escaped by the 
Christian: John 11.26. For this reason, in the parallel between 
Adam and Christ, Rom. 5. 12-21, the apostle passes from the 
thought of mere physical death in the early part of the pas- 
sage to that of both physical and spiritual death at its close, 



178 Outline Studies 

verse 21 : 'as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign 
through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ 
our Lord' — where 'eternal life' is more than endless physical 
existence, and 'death' is more than death of the body." 

3. Eternal death. 

Eternal death is the result of spiritual death. It 
is, according to Strong, "the culmination and comple- 
tion of spiritual death, and essentially consists of the 
correspondence of the outward with the inward state 
of the evil soul: Acts 1.25. It would seem to be in- 
augurated by some peculiar repellent energy of the 
divine holiness, Matt. 25.41; II Thess. 1.9, and to in- 
volve positive retribution visited by a personal God 
upon both body and soul of the evil-doer: Matt. 10.28; 
Heb. 10.31; Rev. 14.11." Eternal death is the same 
as hell, or gehenna, or the second death: Matt. 10.28; 
see II Kings 23.10; Rev. 20.14. 

Note: Both spiritual and eternal death were arrested by grace 
through the institution of sacrifice : Gen. 3.21 ; 4.4 ; Heb. 9.22. 
Thus, the Coming One who was to "taste death for every man" 
saved those in the Old Testament age who through obedience 
and sacrifice believed in Him : Rom. 3.25 ; Heb. 2.9. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

What do the Scriptures teach concerning the 
creation of man? 

What do they teach concerning the method of 
his creation? 



Anthropology 179 

3. What do they teach concerning the unity of the 
race? 

4. What fourfold corroboration have we of the unity 
of the race? 

5. What twin truths are involved in the unity of 
the race? 

6. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the 
constitution of man by creation? 

7. What is the primary signification of the Hebrew 
words for soul and spirit? of the Greek words 
for soul and spirit? 

8. What is the meaning of the terms trichotomy and 
dichotomy f 

9. Give a general statement of the trichotomous 
view of man's nature. 

10. Mention the Scriptural points which are believed 
to support the trichotomous view. 

11. Give a general statement of the dichotomous 
view of man's nature. 

12. Mention the Scriptural points which are believed 
to support the dichotomous view. 

13. On which side of the question does the witness 
of consciousness stand? 

14. In your judgment is the teaching of Scripture 
conclusive or inconclusive as to the matter? Is 
the subject vital to salvation? 

15. State the three views as to the origin of the soul. 

16. What is meant by the moral nature of man? 



i8o Outline Studies 

17. What are the essential elements of the moral 
nature ? 

18. Discuss the signification of the word conscience. 

19. What is the nature of conscience? State the two 
views. 

20. What are the constituent elements of conscience 
as given by mental analysis? 

21. What is meant by free agency? 

22. What are the constituent elements of free 
agency ? 

23. What is meant by Fatalism? by Determinism? 

24. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the 
image of God in man? 

25. What is the signification of the Hebrew words 
for image and likeness ? 

26. What were the constituent elements of the image 
of God in man? 

27. In what does natural likeness consist? Why is 
it inalienable? 

28. In what did moral likeness consist? 

29. How is the original righteousness, or holiness, to 
be viewed? 

30. Distinguish clearly between nature and char- 
acter. 

31. What two erroneous views are held as to man's 
original state? 

32. What four things resulted from man's possession 
of the divine image and likeness? 



Anthropology i8i 

33. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the 
probation of man? 

34. What does the word Eden signify? Where was 
the Garden of Eden probably located? 

35. Define probation. 

36. Show wherein a period of moral probation for 
Adam and Eve was necessary. 

37. What was the purpose of the primitive proba- 
tion ? 

38. What was the probationary law? 

39. Distinguish clearly between a moral law and a 
positive command. 

40. Show wherein the primitive probation was rea- 
sonable. 

41. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the 
temptation of man? 

42. What was the instrument in the temptation? 

43. Who was the higher agent? 

44. In what two ways did the serpent approach the 
woman? 

45. What was the threefold form of the temptation? 

46. Trace the parallel between the temptation of our 
first parents and that of Jesus. 

47. What Scripture passage teaches that Satan 
tempts Christians after the pattern of the Edenic 
and the wilderness temptations? 

48. What do the Scriptures teach concerning the fall 
of man? 



1 82 Outline Studies 

49. Point out five steps leading to the first sin. 

50. Mention six immediate effects of sin. 

51. What was the fourfold divine judgment in con- 
sequence of sin? 

52. What was the threefold separation which re- 
sulted from sin? 

53. What did the tree of life represent and what was 
its use? 

54. What was the threefold death which sin caused? 

55. How may the physical death of Adam and Eve 
be explained? 

56. How do spiritual and eternal death stand re- 
lated? What are some other Scriptural expres- 
sions for eternal death? 



DOCTRINE FIVE: HAMARTIALOGY. 



Topics. 



I. The Origin of Sin. 

II. The Reality of Sin. 

III. The Nature of Sin. 

IV. The Extent of Sin. 
V. The Result of Sin. 

VI. The Penalty of Sin. 



CHAPTER V. 

HAMARTIALOGY. 



TOPIC ONE: THE ORIGIN OF SIN. 

The origin of sin is wrapped in obscurity. It is one 
of the unrevealed mysteries of Scripture. We are, 
however, given a hint of the entrance of sin into 
the heart of Satan and also the introduction of sin 
into the human race. 

I. THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE 
HEART OF SATAN. 

1. In Isaiah 14.12-17, in the picture of the fall of 
Lucifer, son of the morning (the king of Babylon, 
vs. 4), we have an account, it is believed, of the rebel- 
lion of Satan against God. Notice the expression "I 
will," five times repeated — especially the last in- 
stance: 'T will be like the most High," vs. 14. 

2. Again in Ezekiel 28, in the prophet's lamenta- 
tion upon the king of Tyre, we have a hint, it is be- 
lieved, that Satan fell by reason of pride of heart, vs. 
17. 



i86 Outline Studies 

II. THE INTRODUCTION OF SIN INTO THE 
HUMAN RACE. 

The introduction of sin into the human race is re- 
corded in the third chapter of Genesis and in other 
scriptures. It came about in a fourfold way. 

1. Through deception. See I Tim. 2.14. 

2. Through man's disobedience. See Rom. 5.19. 

3. Through the serpent's enticement. See Gen. 
3.1-6. 

4. Through Satan's malignity. See Rev. 12.9. 



TOPIC TWO: THE REALITY OF SIN. 

Sin is a sad and terrible reality. This fact may be 
proved in three ways, namely: the teaching of Scrip- 
ture, the testimony of mankind, and the witness of 
consciousness. 

I. THE TEACHING OF SCRIPTURE. 

As to the reality of sin the teaching of Scripture is 
clear and unmistakable. Among a multitude of pas- 
sages take but three : 

1. John 1.29: "Behold the Lamb of God, which 
taketh away the sin of the world." 

2. Romans 3.23: "For all have sinned and come 
short of the glory of God." 



Hamartialogy 187 

3. Galatians 3.22 : "But the Scripture hath con- 
cluded all under sin that the promise by faith might 
be given to all them that believe." 

II. THE TESTIMONY OF MANKIND. 

The testimony of mankind as to the reality of sin 
has been enacted into government legislation, has 
found recognition in every false religion, and is re- 
flected in secular literature. 

Listen : 

1. The Roman philosopher Seneca said: "We have 
all sinned, some more, and some less." 

2. The Roman Ovid wrote: "We all strive for 
what is forbidden." 

3. The German philosopher and poet Goethe con- 
fessed : "I see no fault in others which I myself might 
not have committed." 

4. A Chinese proverb runs: "There are two good 
men : one is dead and the other is not yet born." 

III. THE WITNESS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 

Consciousness gives no uncertain witness to the 
reality of sin. Everyone knows he is a sinner. No 
one of responsible years has ever lived free from the 
sense of personal guilt and moral defilement. Re- 
morse of conscience for wrong-doing hounds all the 
sons and daughters of Adam; while the sad and ter- 



i88 Outline Studies 

rible consequences of sin are seen in the physical, 
mental, and moral deterioration and degeneration of 
the race. 



TOPIC THREE: THE NATURE OF SIN. 

I. WHAT SIN IS NOT. 

1. Sin is not an Accident. 

There are those who hold that sin is an accident; 
but, as we have seen, the teaching of the Bible is that 
sin resulted from an act of responsible disobedience 
on the part of Adam: Rom. 5.19. 

2. Sin is not Infirmity. 

There are those who hold that sin is a kind of 
disease, because of which we are very unfortunate 
but in no wise culpable. But this, like the former 
view, is contrary to the revelation of the Bible. 

3. Sin is not a Negation. 

That sin is a negation is the teaching of Christian 
Science — that evil is the absence of good, and sin is 
the absence of righteousness. But the Word of God 
declares sin and evil to have a positive existence and 
to be an offense to the Lord: Psa. 51.4. 

4. Sin is not "an Amiable Weakness.*' 

In order to find excuse for their wicked indulgences, 



Hamartialogy 189 

there are those who hold that sin is "an amiable weak- 
ness." But sin is not pitiable but blameworthy, and 
the sinner is responsibly guilty before God. 

5. Sin is not a Necessity. 

Fatalism teaches that sin is a necessity and that 
while sin is of the nature of responsible personal guilt, 
yet we cannot escape it and consequently must make 
the best of it. There are indeed many Christians 
who practically maintain that sin is a means of grace. 
The old extreme Calvinistic view of sanctification 
was that death alone can free us from sin. Yet the 
clear and emphatic teaching of the New Testament 
is that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from 
all sin: I John 1.7, 

II. WORDS FOR SIN IN THE OLD TESTA- 
MENT. 

I. The most common word for sin signifies literal- 
ly to miss the mark. In the original sense it is found 
in Judges 20.16: "Among all this people there were 
seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one 
could sling stones at a hair breadth, and not miss," 
With its derivative forms this word means any moral 
deviation from the divine goal — a going beyond, a 
coming short, or a falUng aside. Not only wilful and 
ignorant acts of sin but also evil states and wicked 
dispositions of the mind and heart are included with- 



1 90 Outline Studies 

in the scope of this Hebrew word: Gen. 4.7; Ex. 9.27; 
Lev. 5.1; Num. 6.11; Psalm 51.2, 4; Prov. 8.36; Isa. 
42.24; Hosea 4.7. 

2. Another word Hterally means bent or twisted, 
or crooked (Isa. 21.3), and spiritually means moral 
perverseness or iniquity, — "the distortion of nature 
caused by evil doing." Our English word wrong, 
1. e., that which is wrung out of its true course, exact- 
ly expresses the idea. Not so much the act itself but 
the character of the act is in the force of this Hebrew 
word: Gen. 15.16; Psa. 32.5; Isa. 5.18. 

3. Another word, whose root signifies stormy ex- 
citement, means the habit of evil; that is, sin particu- 
larly in the disposition. It is the opposite of right- 
eousness : Lev. 19.15, 35; Job 3.17; 16.11; 20.29; 34.8; 
Psa. 82.2; Prov. 16.12; Isa. 57.20, 21; Mai. 2.6. 

4. Another word is used for a revolt against right- 
ful authority; that is, apostasy or rebelHon. It is 
commonly translated in the A. V. by transgression: 
Psa. 51.3; Prov. 28.2. 

5. Another word means to cross over a line, or go 
beyond. It is usually rendered in the A. V. by trans- 
gress: Psa. 17.3; Hos. 6.7; 8.1. 

I 6. Another word which literally signifies to blow, 
represents sin in the aspect of vanity or nothingness : 
Isa. 41.29. 

7. Still another word refers to the hardness of the 



Hamartialogy 191 

heart — the highest degree of sin; stubbornness, or ob- 
duracy: Ex. 4.21. 

But the Hebrew words that are translated sin, or 
mean sin in one form or another, are far too numerous 
to be considered separately. However, among those 
that remain these may be mentioned — following the 
A. V. — fault, Gen. 41.9; transgress, or sin through 
ignorance. Lev. 4.13; wander, Ezek. 34.6; err, Psa. 
119. 21; hate. Lev. 19.17; mischief, Psa. 94.20; misery, 
Prov. 31.7; etc., etc. 

III. WORDS FOR SIN IN THE NEW TESTA- 
MENT. 

1. It is remarkable that in the New Testament 
Greek, as well as in the Old Testament Hebrew, the 
most common word for sin signifies to miss the mark. 
It is said to occur not Jess than 174 times, 71 times 
in the Pauline epistles. It expresses the state or dis- 
position of evil as well as the act of sin : Rom. 3.23 ; 
5.12. 

2. Another word means the overpassing or over- 
stepping of a line of duty. It is always used of the 
"violation of a positive law, an express precept with 
an express sanction": I Tim. 2.14. 

3. Another word means a failure — a falling where 
one should have stood: Gal. 6.1. This Greek 
word is variously rendered in the A. V., viz : trespass. 
Matt. 6.14; sins, Eph. 1.7; faults, James 5.16. 



192 Outline Studies 

4. Another word means lawlessness or anarchy: 
I John 3.4, 

5. Another word means ignorance of what should 
have been known: Heb. 9,7. 

6. Another word means the diminishing of that 
which one should have rendered in full : I Cor. 6.7. 

7. Another word means disobedience to a voice: 
Heb. 2.2, 3. 

8. Still another word means a debt or an offense : 
Matt. 6.12. 

Instances of other words in the New Testament, 
which describe various forms of sin, are : ungodli- 
ness, unrighteousness, Rom. 1.18; lust, Rom. 1.24; 
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, 
envy, deceit, malignity, murder, Rom. 1.29, 30; enmity, 
Rom. 8.7; flesh, adultery, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, 
drunkenness, revellings. Gal. 5. 19-21 ; evil speaking, 
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, malice, Eph. 4.31, 
etc., etc. 

IV. SCRIPTURE DEFINITIONS OF SIN. 

There are in the Scriptures a number of descriptive 
definitions of sin, of which the following are the more 
striking : 

1. Proverbs 21.4: "An high look, and a proud 
heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin." 

2. Proverbs 24.9: "The thought of foolishness 



Hamartialogy 193 

is sin." R. V.: "The thought of the foolish is sin." 
The word thought here has the force of premeditation. 

3. John 16.8, 9: "And when he is come, he will re- 
prove the world of sin and of righteousness, and of 
judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me." R. 
v.: "And he when he is come, will convict the world 
in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment: of sin, because they believe not on me." 

4. Romans 14.23: "For whatsoever is not of faith 
is sin." R. V. : "And whatsoever is not of faith is 
sin." 

5. James 4.17: "Therefore to him that knoweth to 
do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." R. V. : 
"To him, therefore, that knoweth to do good and doeth 
it not, to him it is sin." 

6. I John 3.4: "For sin is the transgression of the 
law" — in act, disposition, or state. 

7. I John 5.17: "All unrighteousness is sin." R. 
V. The same. 

V. THEOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS OF SIN. 

The following definitions of sin are based on the 
Scriptures : 

1. Sin is the transgression of, or lack of conform- 
ity to, the law of God. 

2. Sin is inordinate desire or concupiscence. 

3. Sin is deficiency of love to God and man. 

4. Sin is preference of self to God. 



194 Outline Studies 

5. Sin is insubordination. 

6. Sin is lack of conformity to God or His moral 
law in act, disposition, or state. 

Note : In distinction from those who hold sin to be sensuous- 
ness or finiteness, Dr. Strong maintains that its essential prin- 
ciple is selfishness, i. e., selfness. This is in agreement with 
the fourth definition given above. 

VI. SUMMARY OF SCRIPTURE TEACHING. 
CONCERNING SIN. 

A careful review of the teaching of the Scriptures 
concerning the nature of sin discloses the fact that 
sin may be viewed in four aspects, namely: towards 
God, towards the divine law, towards man, and to- 
wards self. 

A. Towards God. 

Sin is either rebellion or failure to love God su- 
premely. 

1. Rebellion. 

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stub- 
bornness is as iniquity and idolatry": I Sam. 15.23. 

2. Failure to love Him supremely. 

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
might" : Deut 6.5. See Mark 12.30. 



Hamartialogy 195 

B. Towards the Divine Law. 

Sin is either wilful transgression or violation through 
ignorance. 

1. Wilful transgression. 

"But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously (lit. 
with a high hand) w^hether he be born in the land, or 
a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord ; and that 
soul shall be cut off from among his people": Num. 
15.30. See Psalm 19.13. 

2. Violation through ignorance. 

"And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he 
shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offer- 
ing": Num. 15.27; Heb. 9.7. 

C. Towards Man. 

Sin is either injustice or failure to love him as one's 
self. 

1. Injustice. 

"Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob 
him; the wages of him that is hired shall not abide 
with thee all night until the morning": Lev. 19.13. 
See Micah 6.8; Rom. 1.18. 

2. Failure to love him as one's self. 

"But thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" : Lev. 
19.18. See Mark 12.31.. 



196 Outline Studies 

D. Towards Self. 

Sin is either selfishness (selfness) or corruption. 

1. Selfishness (selfness). 

"If any man will come after me, let him deny him- 
self, take up his cross, and follow me": Matt. 16.24. 
See John 12.25. 

2. Corruption. 

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did 
my mother conceive me": Psalm 51.5. See Rom. 7.18. 



TOPIC FOUR: THE EXTENT OF SIN. 

As to the extent of sin, the Scriptures teach that it 
is universal ; that is, it has affected some part of heav- 
en and its inhabitants, and the whole of earth and its 
inhabitants. 

I. THE HEAVENS. 

The sin and fall of Satan affected the heavens. As 
we have seen (see topic Satan under Angelology), the 
devil himself has access to heaven: Job 1.6; Zech. 3.1; 
Luke 10.18; Rev. 12.7-9. Moreover, the emissaries of 
Satan infest the heavenly places, where they make 
warfare with the believer: Eph, 1.3; 2.6; 6.1 1, 12. 



Hamartialogy 197 

II. THE EARTH. 

The sin and fall of our first parents affected the 
whole of earth and its inhabitants. 

1. The vegetable kingdom. This has been cursed 
because of man's sin, but will be restored in the Mil- 
lennial age: Gen. 3.17, 18; Isa. 55.13. 

2. The animal kingdom. This suffers in conse- 
quence of man's sin, but will be made to share in the 
peace and glory of the Millennium: Isa. 1 1.6-9. 

3. The race of mankind. Sin has affected and in- 
fected the entire race of mankind. (For fuller treat- 
ment, see next topic: the result of sin, i. e. in man.) 
Dr. Farr says : "Both Scripture and experience justify 
the statement, that with the single exception of Jesus 
Christ all men are morally depraved at birth, and if 
they live long in the world, are found guilty of per- 
sonal sin. By moral depravity is meant that state of 
the soul which naturally leads to sin." 

Note: Speaking of the universality of sin Dr. Farr further 
says: "Sin and salvation both begin in heaven and come from 
heaven to earth. Much of Christ's work is performed in and 
for the heavens: Heb. 9.23, The intimate relation of heaven 
and earth is seen in Gen. i.i, Man is destined for heaven 
as well as for earth: I Cor. 15.49. Christ comes from, ascends 
to, and returns from heaven. Heaven is always mentioned 
first, as ruling the earth. The new heaven and the new earth 
are the result of Christ's work of redemption: Isa. 65.17; 
II Peter 3.13; Rev. 21. i." 



198 Outline Studies 

TOPIC FIVE: THE RESULT OF SIN. 

Universal is the extent of sin, and likewise univer- 
sal are its devastating and death-dealing results. 
Two spheres in particular may be mentioned, viz : the 
earth and man. 

I. THE EARTH. 

As to the result of sin in the earth, two things may 
be specified, namely: 

1. The groaning of creation: Rom. 8.19-23. 

In this passage Paul reveals the close connection 
between man and the lower creation. Sin has 
brought the lower creation into "the bondage of cor- 
ruption," but full redemption for man will bring 
about its complete deliverance: vs. 21. 

Note: It is said that every sound produced by nature is in 
the minor key, speaking of the tragedy of sin and suffering— 
the sighing of the wind, the rustling of the leaves, the chirping 
of the birds, the murmuring of the brook, etc. On the other 
hand, the major key speaks of redemption and joy. It is 
struck now wherever and whenever the work of the Holy 
Spirit is unhindered, but it will be the dominant note during the 
Millennium and throughout the ages of the new heaven and 
the new earth. 

2. The emptiness of creation : Num. 14.21 ; Psalm 
90.13; Hosea 5.15; Rom. 8.20. 

Dr. F. L. Chapell says: "Since the creation was 



Hamartialogy 199 

for the indwelling of God, angels and men, who are 
the higher forms of creation in heaven and earth, 
must be subordinate to God for His indwelling. But 
when they became insubordinate, or, in other words, 
when they sinned, the indwelling of God was with- 
drawn, and thus commenced the lost condition of the 
general world of the heavens and the earth. The 
light and the life and the love of God have departed 
from His creation because of sin, and thus the dark- 
ness and the death and the hate that rule instead. 
Therefore much is said in Scripture of the absence 
of God and the emptiness of creation, on the one 
hand, and the prayers and the outcries for His re- 
turn, and the filling of creation with His presence, on 
the other hand. Compare Hosea 5.15 with Psalm 
90.13; and Rom. 8.20-23 with Num. 14.21. Much of 
the Bible is occupied with the accounts of the de- 
parture of the Lord, on the one hand, and with 
prophecies and promises of His return, on the other 
hand. Thus there was a presence of the Lord on the 
earth before the flood (Gen. 4.16), but it must have 
departed in that dreadful reign of sin and judgment 
(Gen. 6.3-12). There was a presence of the Lord in 
the Shekinah light (Ex. 40.35; I Kings 8.11), but it 
departed in the reign of the wicked kings (Ezek. 
11.23) ^^^ was not found in the second temple. 
There was preeminently the presence of the Lord in 
the person of the Lord Jesus, but He departed be- 



200 Outline Studies 

cause of the sins of the Jews, and their temple was 
left empty and desolate (Matt. 23.38, 39). And on the 
other hand the constant cry of the faithful has ever 
been, 'Return, return, come, come,' till it is the chief 
refrain of the Revelation, as we read in the last 
chapter: The Spirit and the bride say, Come; let him 
that heareth say, Come,' and 'He which testifieth 
these things saith. Surely I come,' to which the seer 
replies, 'Even so, come. Lord Jesus.' The whole 
spirit of prophecy and of promise looks forward to the 
grand coming of the Lord, that the earth may be 
filled with His glory: Isa. 59.20; Zech. 8.3; Mai. 3.1; 
John 14.3." 

II. MAN. 

In the doctrine of Anthropology, under the topic of 
The Fall of Man, we have noted the threefold separa- 
tion that has resulted from the disobedience of our 
first parents, viz : from the tree of life, from the Gar- 
den of Eden, and from the personal and visible pres- 
ence of the Lord. We have further noted that physi- 
cal death was the natural consequence of separation 
from the tree of life, and spiritual death the inevitable 
consequence of separation from the presence of the 
Lord. Sin in the form of disobedience was the one 
and only cause of both. We are now to look at the 
dark and desolate picture which the Scriptures draw of 



Hamartialogy 201 

the devastating and death-dealing results of sin in 
man's spirit, soul, and body: 

1. All have sinned: Psalm 14.2, 3; Isa. 53.6; Rom. 
3.9, 10, 22, 23; I John 1.8-10. 

2. Every mouth stopped: Psalm 130.3; 143.2; 
Rom. 3.19, R. V. 

3. All under a curse: Gal. 3.10. 

4. All children of the devil: John 8.44; I John 
3.8-10. 

5. Natural man a stranger to the things of God: 
I Cor. 2.14. 

6. Natural heart deceitful: Jer. 17.9. 

7. Alienated from the life of God — understanding 
darkened: Eph. 4.18. 

8. Mental and moral nature corrupt: Gen. 6.5, 
12; 8.21; Psalm 94.11; Rom. 1. 19-31. 

9. Outward behavior vile and detestable : Eph. 2.3 ; 
Titus 3.3; Col. 3.5, 7. 

10. Slaves of sin: Rom. 6.17; 7.5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 19, 
23, 24. 

11. Controlled by prince of the power of the air: 
Eph. 2.2. 

12. Carnal mind enmity against God: Rom. 8.7, 8. 

13. Children of wrath: Eph. 2.3. 

14. Dead in trespasses and sins: Eph. 2.1. 

15. Body weakened and death-doomed: II Cor. 
4.7; Rom. 8.1 1. 

Thus we see that, as the result of sin, man's spirit 



202 Outline Studies 

is alienated from and antagonistic to God, his mind 
deteriorated and darkened, and his body diseased and 
death-doomed. By nature, man is helpless and a 
hopeless sinner; HE IS LOST. 



TOPIC SIX: THE PENALTY OF SIN. 

I. DEFINITION OF PENALTY. 

Penalty has been defined as, essentially, the re- 
action of divine holiness against sin. It is the inflic- 
tion of pain or suffering as punishment upon the law- 
breaker by the Law-giver because of his ill-desert. 

Note: The object of penalty is not primarily the reforma- 
tion of the law-breaker nor the prevention of others becoming 
law-breakers, but the vindication of the character of the Law- 
giver. 

Two kinds of penalty have been distinguished, 
namely, moral and positive. 

II. MORAL PENALTY. 

The term moral penalty is used of the natural 
consequence of sin, the results of the transgression 
and depravity which manifest themselves now in the 
spirit, soul, and body of all the sons of Adam and 
Eve. 

Note: An illustration may make clear the difference intended 



Hamartialogy 203 

between the terms moral and positive penalty. A father 
forbids his son to climb trees under threat of punishment, the 
punishment to be a diet of bread and water for three days. 
The boy disobeys his father's command and breaks his arm 
by falling from a tree. Now, the long confinement and in- 
tense suffering which the lad undergoes because of his broken 
arm may be called the moral penalty which he endures, i. e., 
the natural consequences of his disobedience. But in no true 
sense is this the punishment for his act of disobedience. After 
the son's recovery, the father, in order to uphold parental au- 
thority, and punish him for his ill-desert, must keep him on 
bread and water for three days. And this may be called 
positive penalty, i. e., the actual infliction of suffering by the 
father upon the son for the latter's transgression. 

On this point Dr. Farr says: "The natural consequences of 
transgression, although they constitute a part of the penalty 
of sin, do not exhaust that penalty. In all penalty there is a 
personal element, the holy wrath of the Law-giver, which is only 
partially expressed by natural consequences. Sensual sins are 
punished by the deterioration and corruption of the body ; moral 
and spiritual sins by the deterioration and corruption of the 
soul: Prov. 5.22; 11.21. This is only half the truth. Those 
who confine all penalty to the reaction of natural law forget 
that God is not only immanent in the universe, but also tran- 
scendent; and that to fall into the hands of the living God, 
Heb. 10.31, is to fall into the hands, not merely of the law, 
but also of the Law-giver. Distinctive moral punishment is re- 
morse of conscience and the pains connected with it — a sense 
of shame, regret, blameworthiness, etc. Michael Angelo has 
done as much mischief in art as Dante and Milton have in 
literature, by giving the impression that physical punishment 
and suffering alone await the transgressor." 



J04 Outline Studies 

III. POSITIVE PENALTY, OR THE FUTURE 

PUNISHMENT OF THE IMPENITENT 

WICKED. 

The term positive penalty is used in reference to 
the final destiny of the wicked : II Peter 3.9. This des- 
tiny is set forth in the Scriptures under a variety of ex- 
pressions, some of the more striking being the following: 

1. The resurrection of judgment: John 5.28, 29. 
R. V. 

2. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish: 
Rom. 2.8, 9. 

3. Eternal destruction: II Thess. 1.9. R. V. 

4. Lake of fire: Rev. 20.15. R. V. 

5. The punishment of eternal fire: Jude 7. R. V. 

6. Eternal punishment: Matt. 25.41. 

7. The lake of fire that burneth with brimstone: 
Rev. 19.20. R. V. 

8. The second death: Rev. 21.8. 

9. Hell (Greek, Tartarus) : II Pet. 2.4. 

While the above expressions all refer to the same 
thing, yet the final destiny of the impenitent wicked 
is perhaps most commonly described as death and de- 
struction. Consequently, upon a right understanding 
of the Biblical usage of these terms hinges the truth 
concerning future punishment. Let us, then, briefly 
study these words. 



Hamartialogy 205 

The Word DEATH— Greek: Thanatos. 

The New Testament usage — in fact the Biblical 
usage of the word death — is threefold, namely : phys- 
ical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. 

1. Physical Death. 

Physical death is, of course, the separation of the 
soul from the body — resulting in the corruption and 
destruction of the material frame: John 11. 14; Acts 
2.24; Rom. 8.38. 

2. Spiritual Death. 

Spiritual death may be defined as the separation of 
the spirit from God. Into this state everyone comes 
by natural birth. Thus, the prodigal son, Luke 15.24; 
sinners, Eph. 2.1 ; the pleasure-loving widow, I Tim. 
5.6; the church of Sardis, Rev. 3.1. 

3. Eternal Death. 

Eternal death may be defined as spiritual death 
continued after physical death — the state of a soul 
through eternity dying impenitent in trespasses and 
sin: Rom. 1.32; James 5.20. 

But eternal death is more than the perpetuation 
throughout eternity of the state of spiritual death. It 
is referred to as the "second death": Rev. 2.1 1; 20.6, 
14; 21.8. Now, in Rev. 20.10, "the lake of fire" is de- 
scribed as a place of conscious and unending torment: 
for the devil is cast therein, where after a thousand 



2o6 Outline Studies 

years "the beast and false prophet are, and shall be 
tormented day and night forever." Therefore, "the 
second death" is a place of conscious and unending 
torment. 

Note: Dr. Torrey says: "Life is defined in the Bible not 
merely as existence, but as right existence — knowing the true 
God and the life manifested in Christ: John 17.3; I John i.i, 4. 
Death, then, is not mere non-existence, but wrong, wretched, 
debased, devilish existence. And 'the second death,' which 
is the final outcome of a life of sin, is defined in the New 
Testament as a portion in the place of torment: Rev. 21.8." 

The Word DESTRUCTION— Greek : Apoleia. 

In the New Testament the word destruction (or 
perdition) has a twofold meaning, namely: a general 
and a special meaning. 

I. General Meaning. 

In the New Testament, when anything is said to 
perish or be destroyed, it is not meant that it ceases 
to exist, but that it is ruined, so that it no longer sub- 
serves the purpose for which it w^as intended or de- 
signed. 

Thus, Matt. 9.17: "Neither do men put new wine in 
old wine-skins: else the skins burst, and the wine is 
spilled and the skins perish: but they put new wine 
into fresh wine-skins and both are preserved." R. V. 
Here the burst wine-skins have not perished or been 
destroyed in the sense of ceasing to exist, but they can 



Hamartialogy 207 

no longer hold wine, and hence as wine-skins are 
ruined. 

Again, Matt. 26.8: "But when the disciples saw it, 
they had indignation, saying, To what purpose was 
this zvaste" (literally, destruction). Here the precious 
ointment poured from the alabaster cruse upon the head 
of the Master was not destroyed nor had not perished 
in the sense of ceasing to exist, but it was ruined as 
ointment — that is, like spilt milk it could not be recov- 
ered. 

2. Special Meaning. 

In the New Testament the specific meaning of de- 
struction, or perdition, is in application to the future 
punishment or the final destiny of the impenitent 
wicked: Matt. 7.13; John 17.12; Rom. 9.22; Phil. 1.28; 
3.19; II Thess. 2.3; I Tim. 6.9; Heb. 10.39; II Pet. 2.1 
(translated ''damnable" and "destruction") ; II Pet. 
2.2 (translated "pernicious way") ; II Pet. 2.3 (trans- 
lated "damnation") ; II Pet. 3.7, 16; Rev. 17.8, 11. 

With reference to future punishment note carefully 
the following points: 

First. There is no evidence or indication that the 
specific meaning of destruction, or perdition, differs in 
any way from the general meaning: that is, when- 
ever the impenitent wicked are said to perish or be 
destroyed, it is not meant that they cease to exist, but 
that they are ruined or lost : that is, they are banished 



2o8 Outline Studies 

from the presence of God and from the felicity and 
ministry of heaven. 

Second. The specific meaning of destruction, or 
perdition, coincides with that of eternal or the second 
death. This point is established by the fact that "the 
second death" is synonymous with the "lake of fire." 
That is to say, if the second death is the same as the 
lake of fire, Rev. 20.14, and perdition, or destruction, 
is the same as the lake of fire, Rev. 17.8, 11; 19.20, 
then destruction, or perdition, and the second death 
must be the same thing. This follows because of the 
mathematical and logical axiom that, if two things 
are equal to a third thing, they are equal to each 
other. 

Third. Destruction, or perdition, which is the final 
doom of the impenitent wicked, is described in the 
New Testament as the condition of beings in a place of 
conscious and unending torment. 

This vital fact is established by combining the 
teaching of a number of passages. For example: 
Rev. 17.8, II. Here "the beast" is said to go into 
"perdition." Again, Rev. 19.20. Here "the beast" 
is declared to have been "cast into a lake of fire burn- 
ing with fire and brimstone." That is to say, "the 
lake of fire burning with fire and brimstone" is "per- 
dition," or "destruction." Therein the false prophet 
was cast along with the beast. Again, Rev. 20.10. 
Here we are told that "the devil . . . was cast into 



Hamartialogy 209 

the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and 
false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and 
night forever." Upon this last passage Dr. Torrey's 
comment is : "Here we find the beast still in the lake 
of fire and brimstone (that is, in perdition), being 
tormented after a thousand years have passed away." 
With this agree Rev. 14.10, 11, where we learn that 
those who worship the beast and receive his mark 
"shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the 
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the 
Lamb ; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up 
forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor 
night." Finally Luke 16.19-31 — the story of the rich 
man and Lazarus. This is commonly called a parable, 
but the term parable is not used by the Master. It is 
rather an unveiling of the future — a real portrayal 
of the state of the impenitent lost. Note these facts 
concerning the rich man. (i) He has memory, verse 
25. (2) He has remorse, verse 24. (3) He has torment, 
verse 24. (4) He has concern for his living brothers, 
verse 28. (5) He has a vision of Lazarus "comforted," 
verse 25. (6) He pleads in vain for mercy and relief, 
verses 25, 26. (7) A "great gulf fixed" separates the 
impenitent wicked from the saints of God. Surely all 
this must mean that the future punishment of the 
wicked is conscious and unending. 

Fourth. The everlasting, or eternity, of the tor- 
ment of the impenitent wicked is expressed by the 



210 Outline Studies 

phrase "day and night forever and iever" : Rev. 20.10. 
R. V. (Literally, day and night unto the ages 
of the ages.) But it is objected that this 
phrase refers to a period of limited but unknown 
duration. In reply it may be said : As to the 
expression "day and night" it seems to imply a 
sense of time in the eternal state. See Rev. 4.8; 
7.15; 12.10; 14.11; 20.10. As to the expression "for- 
ever and ever" (literally, unto the ages of the ages), 
it occurs twelve times in Revelation, viz: 1.6; 4.9, 10; 
5.13; 7.12; 10.6; II. 15; 14.11; 15.7; 19.3; 20.10; 
22.5. Eight times it refers to the duration of the ex- 
istence or reign of glory of God and Christ, once to 
the duration of the blessed reign of the righteous, 
and in the three remaining instances to the duration 
of the torment of the devil, beast, false prophet, and 
wicked. 

Note: The Greek word aion signifies an age — an indefi- 
nitely endless succession of ages — "unto the ages of the ages." 
A measuring yardstick infinitely extended would give in terms 
of space the conception that the Greek phrase eis tons aionas ton 
aionon, "unto the ages of ages," gives in terms of time. From 
aion comes aionios, an adjective, signifying, literally, age-long, 
and rendered in English by "everlasting or eternal." It has been 
objected that aionios cannot mean eternal duration, because it 
is sometimes applied to objects which have an end, e. g., the 
everlasting hills: Gen. 49.26. To this objection, Dr. Farr re- 
plies thus: "It may be conceded that it (aionios) does not 
etymologically necessitate the idea of eternity, and that some- 
times it is used in the sense of age-long to express limited 



Hamartialogy 211 

duration. It does, however, express the longest possible dura- 
tion of which the subject to which it is attributed is capable. 
iSo that if the soul is immortal, its punishment must be without 
lend. It is used several times to express the life and duration 
of God Himself: Rom. 16.26; I Tim. 1.17; Heb. 9.14; Rev. 1.8. 
Aionios is used in the New Testament sixty-six times — fifty- 
one times for the happiness of the righteous ; two times for 
the duration of God and His glory; six times where there 
is no doubt as to its meaning 'eternal,' and seven times of the 
punishment of the wicked. Aion is used ninety-five times for 
duration that has limit, nine times to denote the duration of 
future punishment. The most eminent Greek scholars have de- 
cided and declare that if these words do not teach the endless- 
ness of the future punishment, to which they are applied, there 
are no words in the Greek language to express that meaning." 

Fifth. The teaching of the Scripture is clear that 
the issues of eternity are settled in this life. See Luke 
16.26; John 5.28, 29; 8.21; Heb. 9.27. R. V. 

Sixth. There is absolutely no Scripture to warrant 
the hope entertained by many that those who die hav- 
ing never heard of Christ in this world will be given 
another opportunity for salvation. See Rom. 2. 12-16. 
This passage is introduced by the apostle not to show 
how men are saved by the light of nature, but rather 
to show "how the Gentile is under condemnation by 
the written law in his heart just as the Jew is under 
condemnation by the Law of Moses." Rom. 3.19-22 
is conclusive that both Jew and Gentile are saved 
only by faith in Christ. Says Dr. Torrey : "The future 
state of those who reject the redemption offered to 



212 Outline Studies 

them in Christ is plainly declared to be a state of con- 
scious, unutterable, endless torment and anguish. 
The conception is an awful and appalling one. It is, 
however, the Scriptural conception and also a reason- 
able one when we come to see the appalling nature 
of sin, and especially the appalling nature of the sin 
of trampling under foot God's mercy toward sinners, 
and rejecting God's glorious Son, whom His love 
has provided as Saviour. Shallow views of sin 
and of God's holiness, and of the glory of Jesus 
Christ and His claim upon us, lie at the bottom 
of weak theories of the doom of the impenitent. 
When we see sin in all its hideousness and 
enormity, the holiness of God in all its perfection, 
and the glory of Jesus Christ in all its infinity, nothing 
will satisfy the demands of our own moral intuitions 
but a doctrine that those who persist in the choice of 
sin, who love darkness rather than light, and who 
persist in the rejection of the Son of God, shall en- 
dure everlasting anguish. Nothing but the fact that 
we dread suffering more than we loathe sin, and more 
than we love the glory of Jesus Christ, makes us re- 
pudiate the thought that beings who eternally choose 
sin should eternally suffer, or that men who despise 
God's mercy and spurn His Son should be given over 
to endless anguish." 

Seventh. In view of this awful doctrine, what about 
our impenitent friends and loved ones? Dr. Torrey, 



Hamartialogy 213 

to whose book "What the Bible Teaches" we express 
our indebtedness in the treatment o£ this topic, thus 
answers this question and concludes his general dis- 
cussion : "It is better to recognize facts, no matter 
how unwelcome, and try to save these friends from the 
doom to which they are certainly hurrying, than to 
quarrel with facts and seek to remove them by shut- 
ting our eyes to them. You cannot avert a hurricane 
by merely believing that it is not coming. 

"Suppose one you love should commit some hid- 
eous wrong against one you love more, and persist 
in it eternally, would you not consent to his eternal 
punishment? 

"If, after men have sinned, and God still offers them 
mercy, and makes the tremendous sacrifice of His 
Son to save them, — if they still despise that mercy and 
trample God's Son under foot, if then they are con- 
signed to everlasting torment, I say: 'Amen! Hal- 
lelujah! True and righteous are Thy judgments, O 
Lord !^ 

"At all events, the doctrine of conscious, eternal 
torment for impenitent men is clearly revealed in the 
Word of God, and whether we can defend it on philo- 
sophic grounds or not, it is our business to believe it, 
and leave it to the clearer light of Eternity to explain 
what we cannot now understand, realizing that God 
may have infinitely wise reasons for doing things for 
which we, in our ignorance, can see no sufficient rea- 



214 Outline Studies 

son at all. It is the most ludicrous conceit for beings 
so limited and foolish as the wisest of men to attempt 
to dogmatize how a God of infinite wisdom must act. 
All we know as to how God will act is what God has 
seen fit to tell us. 

"In conclusion, two things are certain: First, the 
more closely men walk with God and the more de- 
voted they become to His service, the more likely they 
are to believe this doctrine. Many men tell us they 
love their fellow-men too much to believe this doctrine ; 
but the men who show their love in more practical 
ways than sentimental protestations about it, the men 
who show their love for their fellow-men, as Jesus 
Christ showed His, by laying down their lives for them, 
they believe it, even as Jesus Christ believed it. 

"As Christians become worldly and easy-going, they 
grow loose in their doctrine concerning the doom of 
the impenitent. The fact that loose doctrines are 
spreading so rapidly and widely in our day is nothing 
for them, but against them, for worldliness is also 
spreading in the church : I Tim. 4.1 ; II Tim. 3.1 ; 4.2, 3. 
Increasing laxity of life and increasing laxity of doc- 
trine go arm in arm. A church that dances and fre- 
quents theaters and lives in self-indulgence during the 
week enjoys a doctrine on the Lord's Day that makes 
the punishment not so awful after all. 

"Second, men who accept a loose doctrine regarding 
the ultimate penalty of sin (Restoration or Univers- 



Hamartialogy 215 

alism or Annihilationism) lose their power for God. 
They may be clever at argument and zealous in pros- 
elyting, but they are poor at soul-saving. They are 
seldom found beseeching men to be reconciled to God. 
They are more likely to be found trying to upset the 
faith of those already v^on by the efforts of others 
than winning men who have no faith at all. If you 
really beUeve the doctrine of the endless, conscious 
torment of the impenitent, and the doctrine really gets 
hold of you, you will work as you never worked before 
for the salvation of the lost. If you in any wise abate 
the doctrine, it will abate your zeal. Time and time 
again the author has come up to this awful doctrine 
and tried to find some way of escape from it, but when 
he has failed, as he always has at last, when he was 
honest with the Bible and with himself, he has re- 
turned to his work with an increased burden for souls 
and an intensified determination to spend and be spent 
for their salvation. 

"Finally : Do not believe this doctrine in a cold, in- 
tellectual, merely argumentative way. If you do, 
and try to teach it, you will repel men from it. But 
meditate upon it in its practical, personal bearings, un- 
til your heart is burdened by the awful peril of the 
wicked and you rush out to spend your last dollar, if 
need be, and the last ounce of strength you have, in 
saving these imperiled men from the certain, awful 
hell of conscious agony and shame to which they are 
fast hurrying." 



2i6 Outline Studies 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. What have you to say concerning the origin of 
sin? 

2. What do the Scriptures appear to teach concern- 
ing the entrance of sin into the heart of Satan? 

3. How was sin introduced into the human race? 

4. What is the teaching of Scriptures concerning the 
reality of sin? 

5. What is the testimony of mankind as to the reality 
of sin? 

6. What is the witness of consciousness as to the 
reality of sin? 

7. How would you show that sin is not an accident, 
not an infirmity, nor "an amiable weakness"? 

8. How would you show that sin is not a negation 
nor a necessity? 

9. Can you give the literal signification of the seven 
most prominent Hebrew words for sin? Give one 
reference for each word. 

10. Can you give the literal signification of the eight 
most prominent Greek words for sin? Give one 
reference of each. 

11. Can you give seven Scripture descriptive defini- 
tions of sin? State where they are found. 

12. Can you give six theological definitions of sin? 

13. Can you give the summary of Scripture teaching 
concerning sin? Give references. 

14. What is the extent of sin as it affects the heavens? 



Hamartialogy 217 

15. What is the extent of sin as it affects the earth? 

16. Can you describe two results of sin as it affects the 
earth ? 

17. Can you mention ten results of sin as it affects 
man? 

18. Can you define penalty? What is its primary ob- 
ject? 

19. Can you make clear two kinds of penalty? 

20. Can you give five Scripture expressions for the 
final destiny of the impenitent wicked? Give ref- 
erences. 

21. Can you give the threefold Scripture meaning of 
death? Give references. 

22. Can you show from Revelation that spiritual or 
second death is a place of conscious and unending 
torment ? 

23. What is the general New Testament meaning of 
destruction, or perdition? 

24. What is the specific New Testament meaning of 
destruction, or perdition? 

25. Can you find any Scripture evidence or indication 
that, either in its general or specific meaning, de- 
struction, or perdition, signifies cessation of being? 

26. Can you show from Revelation that the specific 
meaning of destruction, or perdition, coincides with 
eternal or the second death? 

27. Can you show from the New Testament that de- 



ai8 Outline Studies 

struction, or perdition, is a condition of being in 
a place of conscious and unending torment? 

28. What is the New Testament usage of the expres- 
sion "day and night forever and ever" ? 

29. What is the New Testament usage of the words 
signifying "age" and "age-long," the latter being 
rendered in English by "eternal" or "everlasting"? 

30. What passages of Scripture teach us that the 
issues of eternity are settled in this life? 

31. Can you find any clear and unmistakable Scrip- 
ture warrant for the hope that those who die hav- 
ing never heard of Christ will be given another 
chance for salvation hereafter? 

32. If we believe the Word of God and are loyal to 
Christ, what attitude are we bound to take re- 
garding our friends and loved ones who die im- 
penitent? 

33. How should the doctrine of future punishment be 
believed and preached? 



DOCTRINE SIX: CHRISTOLOGY. 



Part One : The Person of Christ. 



Topics. 

I. The Preexistence of Christ. 
II. The Incarnation of Christ. 
III. The Exaltation of Christ. 

Part Two : The Work of Christ. 



Topics. 

I. Christ as Prophet. 
II. Christ as Priest. 
HI. Christ as King. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CHRISTOLOGY. 



PART ONE. 
THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 



TOPIC ONE: THE PREEXISTENCE OF 
CHRIST. 

I. PROOF. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that, as 
the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ existed 
before His incarnation: John 1.1-5; 8.58; 17.5, 24; Col. 
1. 13-17; Heb. 1.2, 8; 2.10. 

II. NATURE. 

This was twofold, viz : as to God, and as to creation. 

I. As to God. 

As to God, Jesus Christ was "the only begotten 
Son": John 1.14, 18; 3.16, 18; I John 4.9. 

Note: As the Son, "the only begotten of (Greek, para, 



222 Outline Studies 

from) the Father," Jesus Christ was begotten not in Hmej but 
in eternity. Theologically, this truth is called "the eternal genera- 
tion of the Son." In the historic development of the doctrine 
of the trinity in the Scriptures, not the Father, the first person, 
but Christ, the second person, is first revealed. As we have 
seen and shall see again, Christ is the Jehovah of the Old 
Testament, who made and preserves the universe, and re- 
vealed Himself in many ways to His ancient people. The revela- 
tion of Christ in the relation of Son, and the consequent revela- 
tion of the first person of the trinity in the relation of Father, 
comes out in connection with the doctrine of the Kingdom, 
See n Sam. 7.12-17; Psa. 2.7-9; 89.24-29. 

2. As to Creation. 

As to creation, Jesus Christ is "the firstborn" : Rom. 
8.29; Col. 1. 15, 18. 

Note: In Col. 1.15, Jesus Christ is declared to be "the 
firstborn of every creature" (R. V. of all creation) ; while in 
verse 18 He is declared to be "the firstborn from the dead." 
These, then, are the two relations in which He is "firstborn"; 
in creation and in resurrection. As applied to Christ, believers 
cannot share the title "only begotten"; but by spiritual sonship 
and resurrection we share with Him His title of "firstborn" : 
Rom. 8.29; Heb. 12.23. In the latter passage, the Greek word 
"firstborn" is in the plural. See Rev. 3.14. 

III. PRIMEVAL GLORY. 

The character of the preexistence of Christ cannot 
be better expressed than that of primeval glory: John 
17.5, 24; Phil. 2.6, 7; Col. 1. 15; Heb. 1.3. 

Note: Just what this primeval glory was we do not know. 



Christology 223 

Jesus speaks of beinjg "in the bosom of the Father," John 1.18; 
and of being loved by the Father "before the foundation of 
the world," John 17.24. These and other phrases express in- 
effable relationships within the Godhead, which we cannot com- 
prehend. On Phil. 2.6 Thayer's Greek Lexicon says : "Form 
(Greek, morphe) is that by which a person or thing strikes 
the vision, the external appearance." There is nothing in this 
passage Which teaches that the Eternal Word (John i.i) 
emptied Himself of either His divine nature or His attri- 
butes, but only of the outward visible manifestation of the 
Godhead. "He emptied, stripped Himself, of the insignia of 
Majesty" (Lightfoot). "When occasion demanded. He ex- 
ercised His divine attributes" (Moorehead). 

IV. OFFICE WORK. 

In His preexistent state, a threefold office work, in 
particular, is ascribed to Christ, viz : 

1. Creator. 

In our study of the doctrine of God, under the topic 
of Creation, we have seen that the created universe is 
the work of Christ: John 1.3; Col. 1.16; Heb. 11.3. 

2. Preserver. 

Under the topic of Preservation (doctrine of God) we 
have also seen that the created universe is sustained 
and controlled by Christ: Col. 1.17; Heb. 1.3. 

3. Framer of the Ages. 

In Hebrews 11.3, we read that "the worlds were 
framed by the Word of God." (R. V. the worlds— 



224 Outline Studies 

margin, ages — have been framed by the Word of 
God.) Literally, the ages were framed (or fitted to- 
gether) hy the utterance of God. This passage 
teaches us a stupendous and glorious truth, which 
we shall study more fully when we come to the doc- 
trine of Eschatology, or the Last Things. It is that 
the dispensations, extending successively from crea- 
tion to the new heavens and the new earth, have been 
planned and executed by Christ. As is well known, 
we are now in the Dispensation of Grace, which be- 
gan at Pentecost and will end with the Parousia. 

V. OLD TESTAMENT APPEARANCES. 

From Genesis to Malachi there are frequent in- 
stances of Christophanies, or appearances of Christ to 
His ancient people. These were two kinds, namely: 
material symbols, and manifestations in human form. 
The latter were Theophanies or Christophanies proper. 
(Theophany means an appearance of God; Chris- 
tophany, an appearance of Christ.) 

I. Material Symbols. 

From the days of the Garden of Eden till the time 
of the destruction of Solomon's temple there was a 
sensible representation of God upon the earth. Our first 
parents were permitted to see the face and hear the 
voice of Jehovah: Gen. 3.8. In this verse the word 
presence is literally face. Here there was a divine 



Christalogy 225 

manifestation to both the eye and the ear. After the 
Fall, God placed at the entrance of Eden cherubim 
and a flaming sword, visible manifestations of His 
presence. It was before this presence of God that 
Cain and Abel brought their offerings, and from it 
that Cain fled. Moreover, the Lord spoke to Cain 
concerning his murderous deed: Gen. 4.4, 5-16. To 
the patriarchs, the Lord both appeared and spoke in 
a manner sensible to the eye and ear: Gen. 17.1 ; 18.1 ; 
Acts y.2. Again, to Moses at the burning bush Jeho- 
vah both appeared and spoke: Ex. 3.1-6. Finally, in 
the pillar of cloud and fire and in the Shekinah glory 
in tabernacle and temple, Jehovah repeatedly ap- 
peared and spoke to His servants Moses and Joshua, 
and made known His will to Israel: Ex. 13.21; 14.15; 
19.24; 20.1-26; 40.34-38; I Kings 8.10, 11; II Chron. 
5.13, 14. There was no visible manifestation of the 
presence of Jehovah in the temple of Zerubbabel or 
in the temple of Herod. 

2. Manifestations in Human Form. 

In the Old Testament mention is made of an august, 
celestial Personage, "who acts in the name of Je- 
hovah, whose name is used interchangeably with 
that of Jehovah, and who received divine honor and 
reverence." The more prominent names given to this 
heavenly being are : the Angel, the Angel of Jehovah, the 
Angel of the Presence (or, face), and the Angel, or 
Messenger, of the Covenant. He can be none other 



226 Outline Studies 

than the Jehovah of the Old Testament, or the Christ 
of the New Testament — He who became the incarnate 
Word, or logos: Gen. 16.10-13; 18.16-22; 22.11,12; 32.24; 
48.16; Ex. 3.2; 23.20-25; 32.34; 33.21-23; Josh. 5-I3-I5; 
Judges 13.3-20; Isa. 63.9; Dan. 10.13; Zech. i.ii, 12; 
Mai. 3.1. 

Note: The identity of the material symbols of the preexist- 
ent Christ with His manifestations in human form is clear from 
such passages as Exodus 3.2 and 14.19. Nor is there any doubt 
that these symbols and theophanies were manifestations and ap- 
pearances of the preexistent Christ. "The glory of the Lord" 
and "The Word of the Lord" are frequent Old Testament names 
for the sensible representations of God — the former describing 
them as they appealed to the eye, and the latter as they appealed 
to the ear. In the first chapter of John, these same descriptive 
expressions are applied to Christ. In verse 14 we read, "And 
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (lit. tented) among us, 
and we beheld His glory, even the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth." Corroboration of this 
fact is found in the targums, or Chaldee paraphrases of the 
Old Testament, which were made for the use of those who re- 
turned from the captivity in Babylon and could not understand 
Hebrew. There the expression Word of the Lord is commonly 
substituted for the name of Jehovah. Thus, "They heard the 
voice of the Word of the Lord walking in the garden" : Gen. 3.8. 
Again, "And Jacob vowed a vow to the Word, saying, If the 
Word of the Lord will be my help," etc. : Gen. 28.20. Now, 
the Jews to whom John wrote his gospel were familiar with 
the Chaldee targums, and understood the expression "the Word 
of the Lord" or "the Word" to refer to Jehovah. Of course 
John himself so understood it. Accordingly, as Dr. Wickes 
says, referring to the logos or Word of John i.i, 14: "It is not 



Christology 227 

possible to vindicate the apostle's reputation as a man of com- 
mon sense and honesty, if he employed this term out of its 
usual meaning, without giving any intimation of the fact. He 
of necessity used the term in its commonly accepted meaning" 
Theologians are accustomed to trace John's use of the term 
"Word" (Greek logos) back to Philo, an Alexandrian Jewish 
writer of an earlier date. But Philo used the term more in the 
sense of reason, or utterance. Moreover, such a connection 
cannot be established. It is not necessary- to go so far afield. 
As we have shown, the Old Testament Scriptures clearly and 
satisfactorily explain the origin of the term, that by its use John 
meant to teach that Jehovah of the Old Testament became in- 
carnate in the Christ of the New Testament. Modem Bible 
students feel the necessity of proving the Deity of Christ. Not 
so John; his contention was that He whom we now know as 
the second person of the trinity, Jehovah of Old Testament 
revelation, became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth. 



VI. THREE PROPHETIC PICTURES. 

There are three pictures of the preexistent Christ, so 
striking and beautiful as to deserve special attention 

and emphasis : 

1. The Slain Lamb. 

This is a picture of the passover Lamb : Ex. 12. 
John the Baptist identified Christ as the sacrificial 
Lamb: John 1.29. John the seer on Patmos had a vi- 
sion of our Lord as the bleeding Lamb: Rev. 12. 11. 

2. The Obedient Servant. 

This is the picture of Christ portrayed in Psalm 



228 Outline Studies 

40.6-8. See Heb. 10.5- 10. Undoubtedly the pri- 
mary reference of these passages is to Ex. 21.2-6, where 
we read of the Hebrew bond-slave, who, unwilling to 
claim rightful liberty because of his love for master, 
wife, and children, submitted to have his ear bored 
with an awl as the seal of voluntary and perpetual 
service. In Psalm 40.6, the word opened means 
digged or bored, a reference to Ex. 21.6. This pic- 
ture of our Lord is fulfilled in the Gospel of Mark, 
which represents Him as the Servant of God. 

3. The Beloved Son. 

This is the picture presented in three passages we 
have already considered in a similar connection: H 
Sam. 7.14-16; Psalm 2.7; 89.26-29. At the baptism 
of Jesus, the Father identifies Him as His well be- 
loved Son: Matt. 3.17; Mark i.ii; Luke 3.22. This 
was repeated at the transfiguration: Matt. 17.5; Mark 
9.7; Luke 9.35. See Isa. 42.1; Eph. 1.6. 



TOPIC TWO: THE INCARNATION OF 
CHRIST. 

I. PROOF. 

It is the clear and distinct teaching of Scripture, 
both by way of prophetic utterance and historic state- 
ment, that Jehovah of the Old Testament became in- 
carnate in Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of God: 
Gen. 3.15; Deut. 18.18; Isa. 9.6; Matt. 1. 18-25; Luke 



Christology 229 

1.26-35; John 1. 14; Acts 10.38; Rom. 8.3, 4; Gal. 4.4; 
I Tim. 3.16; Heb. 2.14. 

Note: Incarnation is a word from the Latin; it means, lit- 
erally, enfleshment, i. e., the assumption of humanity. This 
is brought out particularly clear in such passages as Rom. 8.3, 
and Heb. 2.14. 

II. PURPOSE. 

It is the clear and distinct teaching of Scripture that 
the purpose of the incarnation was redemption: Gen. 
3.15; Isa. 53.4, 5; Matt. 1.21; 20.28; Luke 1.68-75; 
John 3.16, 17; Gal. 4.4, 5; I Tim. 1.15; I John 3.8; 
4.10. 

Note: There are those who assert that, if our first parents 
had not sinned, Jesus Christ would have been bom into the 
world just the same. This may be true, but we know no Scrip- 
ture which proves it. On the contrary, the above and many 
similar passages unmistakably teach that the incarnation was in 
order to the atonement. 

III. CONDESCENSION. 

It was an act of condescension for Jehovah to as- 
sume human form. Says Dr. Farr: ''As we have 
seen, we cannot say that Christ did not come to the 
race till it was 4,000 years old. The incarnate Logos, 
wherein we see the departed divinity reinstated in 
humanity, is the greatest mystery of the gospel: I 
Tim. 3.16; Matt. 11.27; Col. 2.2. It was an unspeak- 



230 Outline Studies 

able act of condescension for the Son of God to stoop 
and take into personal and perpetual union with Him- 
self a nature infinitely lower than His own. It is 
so represented in Scripture: Gal. 4.4; Phil. 2.5-8." 

Note : Westminster Confession : "Christ's humiliation con- 
sisted in His being born, and that in a low condition ; made under 
the law; undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, 
and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and con- 
tinuing under the power of death for a time." 

IV. PERPETUITY. 

It is the unmistakable teaching of the Scriptures 
that the Son of God assumed forever the humanity 
which He assumed at His birth by the virgin. The 
incarnation is in perpetuity. For this there are, princi- 
pally, three reasons: 

I. It is essential to the integrity of our Lard*s 
manhood. 

Jesus Ghrist is the God-man, possessing a divine-hu- 
man nature. According to the Nicene Creed, He is 'Very 
God of very God and very man of very man." Be- 
fore the virgin birth, we can speak, of course, of the 
Son of God only; but after that miraculous historic 
event we can speak also of the Son of man. Again, 
the incarnation was voluntary; it was not by com- 
pulsion that ''the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us": John 1.14. But having voluntarily as- 



Christology 231 

sumed our humanity, Jesus Christ could not lay 
it aside without ceasing to be the Son of man. He 
is now and forever "the M,an in the Glory." The 
post-resurrrection appearances of Jesus give indubi- 
table evidence that He possessed a literal but glorified 
body: Matt. 28.9; Luke 24.3, 15, 30, 31, 40, 42, 50; 
John 20.17, 22-29; 21.7, 15. Further, the ascension 
appearances of Jesus represent Him with a literal 
but glorified body: Acts 7.56; 9.4-6; Rev. 1.9-18. Fi- 
lially, the teaching of the epistles is conclusive as to the 
perpetuity of the incarnation: Rom. 4.25; 6.3-5; 7-4 » 
8.11; I Cor. 15.3-8, 20, 23; Eph. 5.30; Phil. 3.20, 21; 
I Thess. 4.14; Heb. 2.14-16; 13.8, etc. 

Note : The glorified humanity of Christ is the source of our 
physical quickening by the Holy Spirit: Rom. 8.1 1; Eph. 5.30; 
the ground of His sympathy and succor: Heb. 2.17, 18; 4.14-16; 
7.25 ; and the pledge and pattern of our own raised and glori- 
fied bodies: I Cor. 15.20-30; Phil. 3.20, 21; I Thess. 4.14-16; 
I John 3.2. 

2. It is essential to our Lord's high-priestly inter- 
cession. 

Without a literal but glorified body, Jesus Christ 
would be disqualified from exercising His high-priestly 
ministry of intercession: Rom. 8.34; Heb. 2. 14-18; 
3.1; 4.14-16; 6.20; 7.23-28; 9.24; 12.2. 

Says Dr. Farr: "The essential condition in the ex- 
ercise of that office, 'High Priest/ is the sharing of 
our nature; and, therefore, able, as one touched with 



232 Outline Studies 

the feelings of our infirmities, to present our needs 
before the Father, and secure us grace to help in time 
of need." 

3. It is essential to our Lard*s return and mil- 
lennial reign. 

Without His body Jesus could not personally, lit- 
erally, and visibly return to earth: Acts i.ii. Again, 
it is as David's Son and Heir that Jesus is to sit on 
the throne and establish His millennial reign of right- 
eousness and peace: H Sam. 7. 12- 16; Psalm 89.2-4; 
132.11; Isa. 9.6, 7; 55.3, 4; Hosea 3.5; Amos 9.1 1. 

V. REVELATION. 

The incarnation was a divine revelation in three 
principal aspects : 

I. It brought God to man. 

The incarnation was not only a necessary step to 
redemption; it revealed God to man and in man: Matt. 
I 23; Col. 1.27. 

Note: Says Dr. Farr: 'The incarnation was at first not so 
much a revelation as an obscuration. Christ needed a witness to 
testify unto Him until He should be revealed in transfigura- 
tion and resurrection. This witness was John the Baptist. It 
was a new revelation of love: John 3.16; I John 1.18 (literally, 
hath made an exegesis of the Father). The revelation in crea- 
tion and providence is partial and incomplete; but in the Son, 
it is in the highest degree perfect and glorious. 



Christology 233 

2. It established a new communion. 

The bond of union between God and man, which 
had been broken by sin, was, after 4,000 years, reestab- 
lished in Christ. "Then appeared the Son of God in 
the flesh ; and an atonement, which could not possibly 
proceed from the creature, is brought about by the 
Creator Himself": Luke 19.10; John 6.33; II Cor. 
5.19; Heb. 2.14. 

3. It involved a new creation. 

Christ became "the firstborn from the dead," in 
order that we. His "brethren" by nature and faith, 
might be transformed into His image : Rom. 8.29 ; Col. 
1. 18; II Cor. 5.17. As it has been put, "The Word be- 
came flesh, in order that flesh might be conformed 
to the Word." 

VI. TWOFOLD NATURE. 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that our 
Lord is both human and divine. Jesus Christ is both 
God and man — the God-man. 

A. His Humanity. 
This is attested by : 

1. His birth, Matt. 2.1 ; Luke 2 ; John 1.14; Gal. 4.4, 

2. His manifold experiences, as hunger, Matt. 4.2; 
thirst, John 19.28; weariness, John 4.6; temptation, 



234 Outline Studies 

Matt. 4.1 (see James 1.13) ; suffering, Heb. 2.9, 18; 
etc. etc. 

3. His death, Matt. 27.50; Mark 15.37; Luke 23.46; 
John 19.30-34. 

B. His Deity. 

This is attested by : 

1. Prophetic utterance: Psa. 2.2-9; 45-6» 7j ho-IJ 
Isa. 7.13, 14; 9.6, 7; Micah 5.2. 

2. Christ's own claims: John. 8.56-58; 10.30-32. 

3. The ascription of divine attributes: Matt. 28.20; 
John 3.13 (omnipresence); Mark 11.2, 4; John 11. 11, 
14 (omniscience); Matt. 28.18; Luke 7.14; John 5.21- 
23; 6.19 (omnipotence). 

4. The employment of divine titles: John i.i ; 
20.28; Acts 20.28; Rom. 1.4; 9.5; II Thess. 1.12; I Tim. 
3.16; Titus 2.13; Heb. 1.8; I John 5.10. 

Note : Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In the 
Hebrew O. T. the name Jehovah occurs some 11,600 times; 
yet in the A. V. it is found only four times, viz : Ex. 6.3 ; Psalm 
83.18; Isa. 12.2; 26.4. (The R. V. has very largely restored 
the name.) The reason of this is that the Jews superstitiously 
avoided the pronunciation of their sacred name for God, that 
is, Jahwe, substituting therefor Adonai, which signifies Master 
or Lord. The O. T. Greek translation (the LXX) rendered 
Adonai by Kvirios, whizh. is the Greek for Lord. And in this 
way the word "Lord" found its way into our EngUsh Bible as 
the rendering of the Hebrew name Jahwe. Capital letters in- 
dicate this connection, i. e. LORD. Dr. A. T. Pierson says: 
"Were this great name (that is, Jehovah) always reproduced 



Christology 235 

in the English and especially in New i estament quotations from 
the Old, it would prove that our Lord Jesus Cnrist is absolutely 
equal and identical with the Father; tor passages which, in the 
O. T. contain the name 'Jehovah' are so quoted and applied to 
Him in the New as to demonstrate Him to be JEHOVAH- 
JESUS, one with God of the eternal past, Himself manifested 
in the flesh, in the present, and the coming God of the future. 
Tnis is the climax of all arguments and evidences touching our 
Lord's Deity." See Psa. 102.25-27 and Heb. 1. 10-12; Isa. 40.3 
and Matt. 3.3; Jer. 23.6 and Rom.. 3.21-26, and I Cor. 1.30. 

5. The homage of divine worship: Matt. 2.1 1; 
15.25; 20.20; 28.9; Luke 24.52; John 20.28. 

6. Forgiveness of sin: Mark 2.5-7; Luke 7.48; 
24.47. 

7. The possession of absolute holiness and the res- 
urrection from the dead: John 8.46; Rom. 1.4. 

VII. NAMES. 

Some suggestive and striking names are applied 
to Christ. Such are the following: 

1. Jesus. 

This word means saviour or salvation, and links the 
Redeemer with humanity: Matt. 1.21. 

2. Christ. 

This word means anointed; it is the Messianic 
name, and hnks Him with prophecy, vvhich He came 
to fulfil : John 1.41. 



236 Outline Studies 

3. Lord. 

This word means master; it is the Jehovah name, 
and links Him with Deity, which He came to repre- 
sent and reveal : Acts 9.5. 

Note: The historic order of these three names is given in 
Luke 2.1 1 : "a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord." Dur- 
ing the days of His flesh it was preeminently Jesus ; during His 
high-priestly ministry it is preeminently Christ; during His mil- 
lennial reign it will be preeminently Lord. Thus, Jesus sug- 
gests His prophetic office; Christ, His priestly office; and 
Lord, His kingly office. "These three names likewise suggest 
man's relation and responsibility — obedience to Him as Prophet ; 
faith in Him as Priest; surrender to Him as King" (Pier- 
son). 

4. The Alpha and Omega. 

The beginning and the end, the first and the last, 
the Lord, Who is and was and is to come: Rev. 1.8; 
4.8; 22.13. Says Dr. Pierson: ''Alpha and Omega, first 
and last letters of the Greek alphabet, suggest litera- 
ture — the written Scriptures; Beginning and End, 
the material creation; First and Last, the historic ages, 
or time-worlds; Who is and was and is to come, 
Jehovah's eternity. Thus He is here declared, de- 
clares Himself, the subject matter of all Scripture ; 
the Creator of all worlds and creatures; the Control- 
ler of all history, and the eternal, unchangeable Je- 
hovah." 



Christology 237 

VIII. PERSONAL ONENESS OR 
HYPOSTATIC UNION. 

The human nature and the divine nature — each in 
its completeness — are organically and indissolubly 
united in the one unique person of Jesus Christ. This 
is called in theological language, "the hypostatic 
union," or personal union. In our thinking and 
preaching we must exercise extreme care neither to 
divide the person nor confuse or confound the na- 
tures of Christ. It is not Scriptural to say that Christ 
was God and man, but that He was the God-man. 
This is expressed by the Greek theanthropic (Greek 
theos — God, anthropos — man). 

1. There is no interchange of personal pronouns, 
as "I" or "Thou," between the human and divine na- 
tures in speaking of or referring to Christ, as there 
is between the three persons of the trinity: John 
14.26; 17.23. John 3. 1 1 may be explained as referring 
to both Christ and His disciples. 

2. Neither the human nor the divine nature acts 
independently of the other; but in every thought, 
word, and act both natures are so inseparably united 
that the thought, word, or act is the product of 
one single personality. Thus, we cannot say that as 
man Jesus was born, while as God He received di- 
vine titles and worship, wrought miracles, and for- 
gave sin. But we must say that as the God-man He 
was born, suffered the manifold experiences of hu- 



238 Outline Studies 

manity, died on the cross, received divine titles and 
worship, v^rought miracles, and forgave sins. "The 
characteristics of the two natures are ascribed to 
the one Christ; and conversely, the works of the 
one Christ are ascribed to either of the two na- 
tures, in a way inexplicable except on the basis that 
they are united in one Person. This may explain 
many paradoxes of Scripture ; i. e., we say that Christ 
existed before Abraham and yet was born in the reign 
of Augustus ; that He is the same yesterday, today, and 
forever, and yet that He wept, was weary, suffered, 
bled, and died" (Farr). 

3. The union of the two natures in one person is 
essential for Jesus Christ to be the Mediator between 
God and man: I Tim. 2.5. "Christ's twofold nature 
gives Him fellowship with both parties, since it in- 
volves an equal dignity with God and at the same time 
perfect sympathy with man. Being man. He can 
make atonement. Being God, His atonement has in- 
finite value. A merely human saviour could never 
reconcile or reunite us to God": Heb. 2.17, 18; 4.15, 
16; 7.25. 

IX. CHRISTOLOGICAL ERRORS. 

Beginning in the days of the apostles and extend- 
ing into the present time, many errors have been held 
concerning our Lord. These errors may be traced to 
one of two causes : first, failure to make a clear dis- 



Christology 239 

tinction between His two natures ; and second, failure 
to hold fast the unity of His person. This subject 
belongs properly to Church History ; but we can treat 
its doctrinal aspects here. The principal Christolog- 
ical errors are the following: 

A. Errors of the Early Centuries. 

1. Ebionism. 

Ebionism is supposed to come from a Hebrew word 
signifying poor; this error closed about the end of 
the first century. It was the denial of the reality of the 
divine nature of Christ. 'Tt held our Lord to be merely 
man, whether naturally or supernaturally conceived. 
This man, however, held a peculiar relation to God, 
in that from the time of His baptism, an unmeasured 
fulness of the divine Spirit rested upon Him. Ebion- 
ism was simply Judaism within the pale of the Chris- 
tian Church, and its denial of Christ's Godhead was 
occasioned by an apparent incompatibility of this doc- 
trine with monotheism" (Strong). 

2. Cerinthianism. 

Cerinthianism comes from Cerinthus, a heretic who 
flourished in the days of the apostle John. It was an 
offshoot of Ebionism, holding that there was no real 
and essential union of the two natures of Christ prior 
to His baptism. This error founded the deity of 
Christ, not on His supernatural birth, but on His 
baptism and enduement of the Spirit. 



240 Outline Studies 

3. Docetism. 

Docetism comes from a Greek word signifying to 
seem or appear; this error flourished from the latter part 
of the first to the latter part of the second century. 
It was the denial of the humanity of Christ, and 
was attacked by the apostle John in his first epistle: 
4.1-3. In denying the reality of Christ's body, Docet- 
ism showed its connection with Gnosticism and Man- 
icheism. "This view was the logical sequence of 
their assumption of the inherent evil of matter. If 
matter is evil and Christ was pure, then Christ's hu- 
man body must have been merely phantasmal. 
Docetism was simply pagan philosophy introduced 
into the church" (Strong). 

B. Errors of the Fourth and Fifth Centuries. 

I. Arianism. 

Arius, a presbyter of the church of Alexandria, 
Egypt, in the fourth century denied the deity of 
Christ and also His eternal generation from the 
Father. Arianism was condemned at the Council of 
Nice in A. D. 325. 

Note: "Arius denied the integrity of the divine nature of 
Christ. He regarded the Logos who united himself to hu- 
manity in Jesus Christ, not as possessed of absolute Godhead, 
but as the first and highest of created beings. This view orig- 
inated in a misinterpretation of the Scriptural accounts of 
Christ's state of humihation, and in mistaking a temporary 



Christology 241 

subordination (i. e., of office) for original and permanent in- 
equality (i. e., of nature)" (Strong). 

2. Apollinarianism. 

Apollinarius, bishop of the church of Laodicea, in the 
fourth century denied the completeness of our Lord's 
human nature. Accepting the threefold division of 
man, namely, into body (Greek, soma), soul (psuche), 
and spirit (nous or pneuma), Apollinarius denied to 
Christ a human soul (psuche) supplying its place by 
the divine Logos. In this way he made Jesus only two 
parts human. The good bishop's motive was a worthy 
one, but his reasoning was faulty and led him into most 
serious error. He regarded the human soul (psuche) 
as the seat of sin; Christ was sinless; therefore, Christ 
could not have possessed a human soul. Apollinarian- 
ism was condemned at the Council of Constantinople 
in A. D. 381. 

3. Nestorianism. 

Nestorius, bishop of the church of Constantinople, 
in the fourth century denied the unique personality 
of Christ by separating and erecting the two natures 
into distinct persons. Thus he made of our Lord two 
persons instead of one person. The motive of Nesto- 
rius, like that of Apollinarius, was praiseworthy; but, 
like the latter, he himself fell into most serious error. 
Indeed, it was in combating the Apollinarian heresy 
of mutilating our Lord's humanity that Nestorius 



242 Outline Studies 

evolved the equally unscriptural position that the 
two natures of Christ constituted separate and dis- 
tinct personalities. In modern times, R. L. Steven- 
son in his book, **The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and 
Mr. Hyde," has given dramatic expression to the old 
Nestorian heresy of dual personality. Nestorianism 
was condemned at the Council of Ephesus, A. D. 
431. 

4. Eutychianism. 

Eutyches, an abbot of Constantinople, in the fifth 
century denied the integrity of our Lord's two natures 
by confusing them (that is, running them together) 
so as to m.ake a third nature separate and different 
from either the human or the divine nature. Out of 
Christ's two natures, Eutyches constructed what has 
been called a tertium quid, or third nature. Eutych- 
ianism, known also as Monophysitism (from mono 
— one, and physis — nature) was condemned at the 
Council of Chalcedon in A. D. 451. 

5. Monothelitism. 

In comparison with the above this was a minor but 
still a serious error. It alleged that while Christ had 
two natures. He had but one will (mono — one, and 
thelema — will). "In opposition to this the sixth 
Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (A. D, 681) 
adopted the doctrine of tv/o wills in Christ {duo — 
two, and thelema) as the orthodox doctrine, but de- 



Christology ^43 

cided that the human will must always be conceived 
as subordinate to the divine" : John 6.38, 39. 

Note: Says Dr. Strong: "All controversies with regard to 
the person of Christ must, of necessity, hinge upon one of 
three points : first, the reality of the two natures ; secondly, 
the integrity of the two natures; thirdly, the union of the 
two natures in one person. Of these points, Ebionism and 
Docetism deny the reality of the natures; Arianism and 
Apollinarianism deny their integrity; while Nestorianism and 
Eutychianism deny their proper union." 

C. Modern Errors. 

1. Unitarianism. 

In short, this is the old Arian heresy revived — the 
denial of the deity of our Lord. 

2. Christian Science. 

In short, this is the old Docetic heresy revived — 
the denial of the humanity of Christ. Christian 
Science denies the reality of matter. As our Lord's 
body was material, it must have been phantasmal, 
that is, shadowy and unsubstantial. 

3. Millennial Dawn. 

"Russellism" seems to go farther than any or all 
of the ancient heresies. It virtually denies the pres- 
ent and personal existence of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. It makes Him a myth, like Jack-the- 
Giant-Killer or Alice in Wonderland. 

Note: "The orthodox doctrine (promulgated at Chalcedon, 



244 Outline Studies 

451) holds that in the person, Jesus Christ, there are two 
natures, a human nature and a divine nature, each in its com- 
pleteness and integrity; and that these two natures are or- 
ganically and indissolubly united, yet so that no third nature 
is formed thereby. In brief, to use the antiquated dictum, 
orthodox doctrine forbids us either to divide the person or 
to confound the natures" (Strong). 



TOPIC THREE: THE EXALTATION OF 
CHRIST. 

I. PROOF 

The Scriptures clearly and distinctly teach that at 
the conclusion of His work on earth, our Lord was 
exalted to the right hand of God in heaven : Acts 
2.33; 5.31; Phil. 2.9; Heb.i2.2. 

II. STAGES. 

Historically, the exaltation of Christ was accom- 
plished in two stages, viz : 

1. His resurrection: Acts 2.24, 31, 32; 4.10; 17.31; 
Rom. 1.4; 4.25; 8.34; I Cor. 15.4, 20, 23. 

2. His ascension: Mark 16.19; Luke 24.51; Acts 
1.9-11; 2.33; Eph. 4.8-10. 

Note: In Philippians 2.5-1 1 we can trace seven steps in the 
humiliation and seven steps in the exaltation of Christ. The 
depth to which Jesus voluntarily descended measured the 
height to which He was exalted by God in honor and glory. 



Christology 245 

Upon verse 7, the doctrine of the kenosis, so called, is founded 
— ^that is, the self-emptying of Christ. The nature and extent 
of this act are controversial questions. 

III. CHARACTER. 

The exaltation of Christ is marked by the following 
characteristics, viz : 

1. Restoration to primeval glory: John 17.5; Heb. 
1.8, 9; Rev. 5.9, 10. 

2. Session at God's right hand: Psalm iio.i ; Acts 
7.56; Rom. 8.34; Eph. 1.20; Col. 3.1; Heb. 1.3; 8.1; 
12.2; Rev. 3.21. 

3. Giver of the Holy Ghost: Luke 24.49; John 
15.26; 16.7; 20.22; Acts 1.8; 2.32, 33; 5.32. 

4. Dominion over creation: Matt. 28.18; I Cor. 
15.27; Eph. 1.20-22; Phil. 2.9-11; Col. 1. 17; Heb. 2.8. 

5. Headship of church: I Cor. 11.3; 12.12-27; Eph. 
1.22,23; 5-23-33; Col. 1. 18. 

6. Ministry of intercession: Rom. 8.34; Heb. 7.25; 
9.24; I John 2.1. 

7. Expectancy of return: Psalm iio.i; Acts 3.20, 
21; Heb. I.I, 13; 10.13. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. Give Scripture proof of the fact that Jesus Christ 
existed before His incarnation. 

2. What was the twofold nature of Christ's pre- 
existence ? 



246 Outline Studies 

3. What was Christ's threefold office work in His 
preexistent state? 

4. In what two forms did the Lord appear in the 
Old Testament times? Discuss one of them. 

5. What are the three prophetic pictures of the 
preexistent Christ? 

6. What are the principal Scripture passages that 
teach the incarnation of Christ? 

7. What was the purpose of the incarnation ? 

8. Why was the incarnation an act of condescen- 
sion? 

9. Why is it perpetual? 

10. How is it a revelation? 

11. What are the proofs of Christ's humanity? 

12. What are the proofs of His deity? 

13. Discuss some of the N. T. names applied to 
Christ. 

14. What is meant by "the hypostatic union"? 

15. What was the error concerning Christ's person 
known as Ebionism? 

16. Known as Cerinthianism ? 

17. Known as Docetism? 

18. Known as Arianism? 

19. Known as Apollinarianism ? 

20. Known as Nestorianism ? 

21. Known as Eutychianism ? 

22. Known as MonotheUtism ? 



Christology 247 

23. What are some present day Christological er- 
rors? 

24. What Scripture passages set forth the fact of 
Christ's exaltation? 

25. In what two stages was it accompUshed ? 

26. What are some of its characteristics? 



CHRISTOLOGY. 



PART TWO. 

THE WORK OF CHRIST. 

According to the Scriptures, Jesus Christ has a 
threefold office work, viz: a prophetic ministry, a 
priestly ministry, and a kingly ministry. As some- 
one has said : "Christ must be a Prophet to save us 
from the ignorance of sin; a Priest, to save us from 
its guilt; and a King, to save us from its power." 



TOPIC ONE: CHRIST AS PROPHET. 

I. PREDICTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT. 

The predictive announcement that Christ should be 
a prophet is recorded in Deut. 18.18, 19. See Matt. 
13.57; 16.14; 21. 11; John 1.21; 4.19; 6.14; 7.40; 9.17; 
and especially Acts 3.22 and 7.37. 

II. EXTENT. 

Officially, the prophetic ministry of Christ began at 



Christology 249 

the river Jordan, when He was endued with the Holy- 
Spirit, and ended at the cross of Calvary, when He 
offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin: Matt. 4.23-25; 
Luke 4.14-27; Acts 2.22, 23; Heb. 9.26-28. 

III. TWOFOLD NATURE OF PROPHET. 

The primary idea of the prophetic office is that of 
one who "brings things to light," or "makes mani- 
fest." The secondary idea is prediction of the future. 
The O. T. prophet, then, exercised two functions: 
first, insight; and second, foresight. The prophet had 
also, so to speak, "hindsight" ; for by revelation of the 
Spirit he frequently knew things of the past. This 
was true of Moses, when he penned the panorama of 
creation: Gen. i and 2. 

Note: The original name of the prophet was seer: I Sam. 
9.9; II Kings 17.13. A seer is one who sees, i. e., who sees 
things not beheld by mortal eye. The word prophet comes 
from the Greek pro, before or forth, and phemi, to speak, 
signifying to speak forth or beforehand. Thus a prophet was 
one who spoke to the people as the mouthpiece of God : Ex. 
4.15, 16. On the primary idea of the prophetic office, see Ex. 
4.10-17- 

IV. MANIFOLD CHARACTER OF PRO- 

PHETIC MINISTRY. 

An O. T. prophet fulfilled his ministry in three 
ways: by teaching (Matt. 5-7), by predicting (Matt. 



250 



Outline Studies 



24), and by healing (Matt. 8, 9). Our Lord did all 
these. Or, more particularly, Christ fulfilled His 
prophetic office in the following ways : 

1. By His gracious words: Matt. 5.2; 7.28, 29; John 
6.63; Rev. 1. 10, II. 

2. By His wondrous deeds: John 5.36; 10.25; 
15.24; Acts 2.22. 

3. By His matchless example: John 13.15; I Peter 
2.21-23. 

4. By His unparalleled silence: Matt. 27.13, 14; 
I Peter 2.23. 

5. By His gift of the Spirit: John 14.26; 15.26; 
I Peter i.io, 11; I John 2.20-27. 



TOPIC TWO: CHRIST AS PRIEST. 

PREDICTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT. 

The predictive announcement that Christ should 
be a priest is recorded in Psalm 110.4. See Heb. 5.6; 
6.20; 7.21. 

Note : Our Lord's priesthood is not in the line of Aaron, 
but "after the order of Melchizedec" ; that is, it is exercised not 
on earth but in heaven; and it is unchanging and eternal. 



EXTENT. 

Officially, the priestly ministry of Christ began at 



Christology 251 

the cross, when He offered Himself as a sacrifice for 
sin, and will end at His return, when as King He will 
sit on the throne of David : Heb. 8 and 9. 

NATURE OF PRIESTLY OFFICE. 

A priest is a mediator — one who intercedes with a 
just God on behalf of guilty sinners: Lev. 4.16-18. 

Note: Says Dr. Wickes: "Soon after the deluge, a class of 
men was set apart and consecrated to this sacred office of 
mediatorship with God, which is the essential idea of a priest — 
one to whom the offering of sacrifices is specially committed, 
that he may intercede with heaven in behalf of the guilty, 
who themselves have no access into the divine presence. Thus 
not only must a bloody sacrifice, or sin offering, be made, but 
made by certain persons who have been clothed with this 
special authority to act for others. They are appointed mediators 
between God and man, through whose intercession, by the 
offering of blood, atonement is made and justification ob- 
tained for the transgressor." In Israel, by the law of Moses, 
the priesthood was lodged in the house of Aaron. 

THREEFOLD SCOPE OF PRIESTHOOD. 

The scope of the Old Testament priesthood was 
threefold, viz : first, to offer sacrifices before the peo- 
ple ; second, to go within the veil to make intercession 
for the people ; and third, to come forth and bless the 
people. Or, RECONCILIATION, INTERCES- 
SION, and BENEDICTION. As the Great High 
Priest, our Lord fulfilled these three functions. The 



252 Outline Studies 

first, reconciliation, He accomplished at His first com- 
ing, when on the cross He offered Himself as a sacri- 
fice for sin. The second, intercession, He is accom- 
plishing now in heaven between His first and second 
advent. And the third, benediction, He will accom- 
plish at and after His coming return: Heb. 9.27, 28; 
I Peter 1. 18-20; 2.24; Rom. 8.34; Heb. 7.25; II Thess. 
1. 10; I Peter 1.4, 5; Rev. 11. 15; 20.4. 

Note: The priests had access to the Holy Place of the 
ancient tabernacle; but the high priest alone, and then but 
once a year on the great day of atonement, could enter the 
Holy of Holies: Heb. 9.6, 7. The formula of benediction, which 
the high priest used, on emerging from the Holy of Holies, 
is believed to be recorded in Num. 6.22-27. 



THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 

I. THE FACT. 

By predictions, types, witnessing terms, and explicit 
statements, the Scriptures clearly set forth the fact of 
the atonement. 

A. Types. 

The typology of the Old Testament is full of the 
atonement. We may instance a few of the more strik- 
ing types : 

1. Coat of skins. Gen. 3.21. 

2. Abel's lamb, Gen. 4.4. 



Christology 253 

3. The offering of Isaac, Gen. 22. 

4. The Passover lamb, Ex. 12. 

5. The Levitical sacrificial system. Lev. chaps. 1-7. 

6. The brazen serpent, Num. 21; see John 3.14; 
12.32. 

7. The slain Lamb, Isa. 53.7. See John 1.29; Rev. 
13-8. 

B. Predictions. 

The Old Testament abounds in predictions con- 
cerning the Messiah, His character and career. In- 
deed, there are said to be 333 specific striking O. T. 
pictures of the sacrificial death of Christ. 

1. The seed of the woman, Gen. 3.15. 

2. The sin offering. Psalm 22. 

3. The substitutional Saviour, Isa. 53. 

4. The cut-off Messiah, Dan. 9.26. 

5. The smitten Shepherd, Zech, 13.6, 7. 

C. Witnessing Terms. 

There are five Scriptural witnessing terms of the 
Atonement. They are : 

I. Atonement. 

The word atonement occurs only once in the A. V. 
of the New Testament, viz: Rom. 5.1 1. The Greek 
noun here is katallage which is more correctly ren- 



254 Outline Studies 

dered in the Revised Version reconciliation (see be- 
low). The root of the Hebrew word for atonement 
is kaphar, which Hterally signifies to cover, i. e., for- 
give sin. See Ex. 30.10. Psalm 32.1 gives us both 
the figurative and spiritual meaning of atonement. 

Note : The lid of the ark, called the mercy seat, is in Hebrew 
the kapporeth, signifying the place of the covering (i, e., of sin). 
The way some teachers divide the word atonement, viz., at-one- 
ment, is of curious interest ; but at best it is a mere verbal trick, 
and no Scriptural warrant can justly be claimed for it. 

2. Reconciliation. 

Reconciliation is the translation of the Greek noun 
katallage, which literally signifies an exchange, i. e., 
of equivalent value in money-changing, or an adjust- 
ment, i. e., of a difference. The enmity between God 
and man has been destroyed and amity has been re- 
stored. "The word is used in the N. T.," says Thayer, 
"of the restoration of the favor of God to sinners that 
repent and put their trust into the expiatory death of 
Christ": Rom. 5.1 1, R. V.; 11. 15; II Cor. 5.18, 19. 

3. Propitiation. 

Propitiation is the translation of the Greek nouns 
hilasmos and hilasterion, literally signifying an ap- 
peasing, a placating, an expiation. Propitiation 
comes from the Latin and means that which renders 
one propitious or favorably disposed towards another. 



Christology 255 

Thus, the death of Christ is the ground whereby God is 
rendered propitious or favorably disposed towards the 
sinner. Christ, in other words, is the propitiation for 
sin: Rom. 3.25; I John 2.2; 4.10. See Heb. 2.17, 
R. V. 

Note: Propitiation or propitiatory is the Greek equivalent of 
the Hebrew kapporeth, or mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the 
covenant. 

4. Redemption. 

Redemption is the translation of the Greek nouns 
lutrosis and apolutrosis, signifying a releasing, or lib- 
eration from captivity, slavery, or death by the pay- 
ment of a price, called a ransom. Thus, Christ is the 
ransom, who delivers us from sin and death. Re- 
demption is from the Latin and signifies a buying 
back: Luke 1.68; 2.38; Rom. 3.24; I Cor. 1.30; Eph. 
1.7, 14; 4.30; Col. 1. 14; Heb. 9.12, 15. 

Note : The medieval schoolmen taught that Christ was the 
ransom-price which God paid to Satan to release sinners. But 
this is pressing the figure of speech too far. See I Peter 1. 18-20. 

•5. Substitution. 

Substitution is not a Biblical word but it is a Scrip- 
tural idea. It means that one person or thing is put 
in, or takes, the place of another person or thing. 
Thus, Christ took the place of sinners and died, thus 
suffering the penalty of sin, which they deserved. 



256 Outline Studies 

This is the significance of the scape-goat, Lev. 16. 
This is also the meaning of Isa. 53.6. And it is the 
clear teaching of the New Testament: Matt. 20.28; 
Mark 10.45; ^^ Cor. 5.21; Gal. 2.20; I Peter 3.18. 

Note: There are two Greek prepositions which express the 
substitutional or vicarious idea, viz : huper — ^in behalf of, and 
anti — instead of. Some regard them as equivalents : Matt. 20.28 : 
Gal. 2.20. The English preposition for is ambiguous; it means 
both in behalf of, and instead of. 

D. Explicit Statements. 

The New^ Testament abounds in explicit statements 
concerning the atonement. If it be carefully read and 
all the passages bearing on this subject marked, and 
these classified, something like the follov^ing will be the 
result : 

1. The center and heart of the atonement of Christ 
is declared to be : 

a. His death, Rom. 5.10; Phil. 2.8; Heb. 2.9-14; 
9.16; Rev. 5.6, 9, 12. 

b. His cross, I Cor. 1.23; Gal. 3.1; 6.12; Eph. 2.16; 
Col. 1.20. 

c. His blood, Matt. 26.28; Mark 14.24; Luke 22.20; 
Eph. 1.7; 2.13; Col. 1. 14; I John 1.7; Heb. 9.12, 15; 
Rev. 1.5; 5.9. 

2. The atonement bears a relation to God : 
a. It is grounded in His love, John 3.16. 



Christology 257 

b. It manifests His righteousness, Rom. 3.25 ; II Cor. 
5.21. 

c. It measures the extent of His sacrifice, John 3.16; 
Rom. 8.32; II Cor. 5.21 ; I John 4.10. 

d. It is the basis of our reconciUation, Rom. 5.1 1; 
II Cor. 5.18, 19. 

3. The atonement bears a relation to the law. 

a. Christ was born under the law, Gal. 4.4, 5. 

b. Christ bore its curse. Gal. 3.13; Phil. 2.8. 

c. Christ fulfilled its righteousness, Rom. 5.18, 19; 
8.3, 4; 10.4. 

4. The sacrifice of Christ was necessary: Luke 
24.26; Gal. 2.21; 3.21; Heb. 2.10. 

5. The sacrifice of Christ was voluntary: John 
10.17, i^J Gal. 2.20; Eph. 5.2; Heb. 9.14; 10.7-9. 

6. The atonement of Christ was the only sacrifice 
for sin: Acts 4.12; Rom. 3.20-28; Heb. 1.3; 9.22; 10.10, 
12, 14, 26; I Peter 3.18. 

7. The atonement of Christ was vicarious: Matt. 
26.28; Rom. 5.6; II Cor. 5.14, 15; Gal. 3.13, 14. 

8. The atonement of Christ was for sin: John 
1.29; Rom. 3.25; 5.8; 6.10; 8.3; I Cor. 15.3; II Cor. 
5.21; Gal. 3.13; Heb. 9.28; I Peter 2.24; 3.18; Rev. 1.5. 

9. The atonement of Christ was for various 
classes : 

a. For His own people. Matt. 1.21 ; John 10. 



258 Outline Studies 

11; 15.13; Eph. 5.25; Heb, 2.13, 14; I John 3.16. 

b. For the many, Matt. 20.28; Mark 10.45; Heb. 
9.28. 

c. For the lost, Matt. 18.11 ; Mark 2.17; Luke 5.32; 
19.10. 

d. For the whole world, John 1.29; 3.16; 6.51; 
12.47; II Cor. 5.14, 15; I Tim. 2.6; Heb. 2.9; I John 
2.2. 

ID. The atonement of Christ produces many bene- 
ficial effects : 

a. Thereby Jesus becomes the Saviour of men, 
Matt. 1.21. 

b. Thereby justification is received. Acts 13.39. 

c. Thereby cleansing is received, I John 1.7. 

d. Thereby sanctification is received, Heb. 13.12. 

e. Thereby healing is received, I Peter 2.24. 

f. Thereby universal blessings are received, John 
14.13; Eph. 1.3; Heb. 9.15. 

II. THE NECESSITY. 

So far as we can penetrate into the mystery of the 
atonement, its necessity was fourfold : 

I. The Holiness of God. 

The holiness of God was outraged by sin and de- 
manded appeasement by punishment. 



Christology 259 

2. The Law of God. 

The law of God was violated by sin and demanded 
that the penalty of death be inflicted. 

Law has been called "the expression of will/' While 
all law is of God, we may distinguish between Natural 
and Divine law. Natural Law underUes the physical 
constitution of the universe. It has been defined as 
the observed uniform action or tendency of the forces or 
powers of the physical universe, as gravitation, co- 
hesion, chemical affinity, etc. Natural law implies 
four things : (a) a lawgiver or authoritative will ; 

(b) persons and things whereon the law operates ; 

(c) a command or expression of this will ; and (d) a 
power enforcing the command. On the other hand, 
Divine Law underlies the moral constitution of the 
universe. It is twofold, viz: the moral law and the 
ceremonial law. The Moral Law is a transcript of the 
character of God, that is, it is His essential nature 
expressed in perceptive form, as the Decalogue, the 
ethical teaching of the Sermon on the Mount, and the 
new commandment of Jesus: John 15.12. The moral 
law, therefore, is elemental, universal, and permanent. 
It implies six things : (a) A divine lawgiver or ordain- 
ing will; (b) subjects, or moral beings upon whom the 
law terminates; (c) commands, or the expression of 
this will in the moral constitution of the subjects and 
in the form of written perceptive enactments; (d) 
power enforcing these commands ; (e) duty, or obliga- 



26o Outline Studies 

tion to obey ; and (f ) sanctions, or pains and penalties 
for disobedience. Now, it is the moral law which the 
sinner has transgressed and for which transgression 
the penalty of death is threatened: Ezek. 18.4; Rom. 
6.23. The Ceremonial Law is the expression in written 
perceptive form of the will of God for a specific pur- 
pose, as the Levitical system of ablutions and the dis- 
tinction between clean and unclean animals : Lev. chaps. 
11-15. The ceremonial law, accordingly, was local in 
application and temporary in character. Indeed, in 
Christ and His gospel, the moral law is fulfilled but the 
ceremonial law is abrogated: Rom. 10.4; Acts 10.9-16; 
I Tim. 4.1-5. 

3. The Guilty Conscience. 

The guilty and defiled conscience of the sinner can 
be acquitted and cleansed only through punishment — 
the punishment of the sinner himself or of his Substi- 
tute, the Saviour. Peace and rest cannot come to the 
condemned heart till it is assured that its just penalty 
has been borne by the spotless Lamb of God : Heb. 
10.1-8. 

4. The Lost Sinner. 

In the doctrine of Hamartialogy (see Topic 5 : The Re- 
sult of Sin) it has been shown that in consequence of 
sin man is both helpless and hopeless. HE IS LOST, 
"having no hope, and without God in the world" : 
Eph. 2.12. For this reason "the Son of man came 



Christology 261 

to seek and to save that which was lost": Luke 19.10, 

Note: Heathen sacrifices bear witness to the necessity of 
atonement for sin. They are best explained as a perversion of 
an original divine revelation. This perversion is seen in the 
fact that while in heathen sacrifices the victim is offered to 
appease an offended deity, the truth as set forth in the Scriptures 
is that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" : 
II Cor. 5.19. That heathen sacrifices are a perversion of an 
original divine revelation is further seen in the fact that the 
idea of substitution is uppermost; that is, the worshiper, con- 
scious of his sinfulness, brings his offering, by whose innocent 
blood he believes his guilt is expiated. 

III. THE EXTENT. 

As to the extent of the atonement, a distinction 
must be made between its sufficiency and its effi- 
ciency. In sufficiency the atonement in Christ is uni- 
versal; that is, potential provision is made for all 
mankind. But in efficiency the atonement is limited ; 
that is, actual provision is made only for those who 
accept God's gracious offer of salvation through 
Christ. Both aspects are presented in I Tim. 4.10: . . . 
"we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all 
men, specially of those that believe." 

1. Passages bearing on the universality of the 
atonement: Heb. 2.9; I Tim. 2.6; 4.10; Titus 2.11; 
I John 2.2; II Peter 3.9. 

2. Passages bearing on the limitation of the atone- 



262 Outline Studies 

ment: Eph. 1.4, 7; II Tim. 1.9, 10. See John 17.9, 
20, 24. 

Note : Christ is the Saviour of all men in the sense that : (i) His 
atonement acts as a stay in the execution of the sentence against 
sin, securing for all men a space for repentance, and the enjoy- 
ment of the common blessings of life, forfeited by transgres- 
sion: II Peter 3.9; Matt. 5.45; Acts 14.17; (2) His atonement 
has made objective provision for the salvation of all, by remov- 
ing from the divine mind every obstacle to the pardon and res- 
toration of sinners, except their wilful opposition to God and 
refusal to turn to Him: Rom. 5.8-10; H Cor. 5.18-20; (3) His 
atonement has procured for all men the powerful incentives to 
repentance presented in the cross, together with the combined 
agency of the Christian Church and the Holy Spirit: Rom. 2.4; 
John 16.8; H Cor. 5.18-20; (4) His atonement provides for the 
removal of the curse from nature: Isa. 55.13; Rom. 8.21, 22; 
and (5) His atonement provides for the salvation of infants: 
Matt. 18.10; 19.13-15. On the other hand, Christ is the Saviour 
only of those who believe, because repentance and faith are the 
conditions of salvation : Acts 2.38. 

IV. PHILOSOPHY. 

The philosophy of the atonement seeks its rational 
explanation. It must be frankly admitted that a com- 
plete and satisfactory philosophy of the atonement is 
impossible, for at bottom it is a profound and impene- 
trable mystery. Indeed, the early church view^ed the 
atonement as a fact more than as a doctrine ; that is, 
as a historic event, not as a speculative problem. It 
was the central truth of the gospel. Forgiveness was 



Christology 263 

offered freely through the blood of Christ on the sim- 
ple condition of repentance from sin and faith towards 
God. It would have been well if this had continued 
to be the case. But with the scholasticism of the 
Middle Ages, the speculative element entered into the 
viev/ of the atonement. It has been estimated that 
fully fifteen theories, so called, of the atonement have 
been formulated. Of these, six merit our attention: 
five, which we believe to be untrue to the Scriptures; 
and the last one, which we believe to be the true Bib- 
lical view. 

A. The Socinian, or Example Theory of the 
Atonement. 

I. Statement. 

"This theory held that subjective sinfulness is the 
sole barrier between man and God. Not God, but 
only man, needs to be reconciled. This can be ef- 
fected by man's own will, through repentance and ref- 
ormation. The death of Christ is but the death of a 
noble martyr. He redeems us, only as His human ex- 
ample of faithfulness to duty has a powerful influence 
upon our moral improvement. This fact the apostles, 
either consciously or unconsciously, clothed in the 
language of the Greek and Jewish sacrifices" 
(Strong). 

Note: This theory was fully elaborated by Laelius Socinus 



264 Outline Studies 

and Faustus Socinus, of Poland, in the i6th century. Its 
modem representatives are Unitarians. 

2. Objections. 

a. Philosophically, it is based upon false princi- 
ples; for example, that will is simply the volitional 
faculty ; that utility is the basis of virtue ; that law is 
the expression of arbitrary will ; that penalty is a 
means of reforming the offender ; and that righteous- 
ness, in either God or man, is only the manifestation 
of benevolence. 

b. Historically, it is the outgrowth of the Pelagian 
view of sin, and "logically necessitates a curtailment 
or surrender of every other characteristic doctrine of 
Christianity — inspiration, sin, the deity of Christ, jus- 
tification, regeneration, and eternal retribution" 
(Strong). 

Note: Pelagianism was the denial of total depravity in man 
and the affirmation of "ability" — that is, that man by his own 
efforts, with divine help, is capable of salvation. The Socinian 
theory requires the abandonment of the doctrine of inspiration, 
because throughout the Scriptures a vicarious and expiatory 
sacrifice is presented; the doctrine of sin, because sin as objec- 
tive guilt and subjective defilement is denied; the doctrine of 
Christ's deity, because if man can save himself, he has no need 
of an infinite sacrifice by an infinite Saviour; the doctrine 
of justification, because it denies our being declared innocent 
before the law on account of anything Christ has done; the 
doctrine of regeneration, because it denies the necessity of the 
birth from above; and the doctrine of eternal retribution, be- 
cause "this is no longer appropriate to finite transgression of 



Christ ology 265 

arbitrary law, and to superficial sinning that does not involve 
nature" (Strong). 

c. Scripturally, it contradicts the fact that sin in- 
volves objective guilt as well as subjective defilement; 
that God's holiness requires Him to punish sin; that 
the atonement was vicarious and substitutional; and 
that such vicarious and substitutional bearing of sin 
was necessary in order to furnish a ground whereby 
God might show favor to the guilty. 

d. Again, "it furnishes no proper explanation of 
the sufferings and death of Christ. The unmartyrlike 
anguish cannot be accounted for, and the forsaking by 
the Father cannot be justified upon the hypothesis that 
Christ died as a mere witness to truth. See Psalm 22. If 
Christ's sufferings were not propitiatory, they neither 
furnish us with a perfect example, nor constitute a 
manifestation of the love of God" (Strong). 

e. Once more, it makes the chief result of Christ's 
death what at most can only be a subordinate result; 
for neither Scripture nor Christian experience finds 
in Christ's example the principal motive of His death. 
"Mere example is but a new preaching of the law, 
which repels and condemns. The cross has power to 
lead men to holiness, only as it first shows a satisfac- 
tion made for sins. Accordingly, most of the passages 
which represent Christ as an example also contain 
references to His propitiatory work" (Strong). See 
I Peter 2.21. 



266 Outline Studies 

f. Finally, it "contradicts the whole tenor of the 
New Testament in making the life, and not the death, 
of Christ the most significant and important feature 
of His work. The constant allusions to the death of 
Christ as the source of salvation, as well as the sym- 
bolism of the ordinances, cannot be explained upon a 
theor}^ which regards Christ as a mere example, and 
considers His sufferings as incidents, rather than es- 
sentials, of His work" (Strong). 

B. The Bushnellian, or Moral Influence Theory of 
the Atonement. 

I. Statement. 

"This theory holds, like the Socinian, that there is 
no principle of the divine nature w^hich is propitiated 
by Christ's death; but that this death is a manifesta- 
tion of the love of God, suffering in and with the sins 
of His creatures. Christ's atonement, therefore, is 
the merely natural consequence of His taking human 
nature upon Him ; and is a suffering, not of penalty 
in man's stead, but of the combined woes and griefs 
which the living of a human life involves. This 
atonement has effect, not to satisfy divine justice, but 
so to reveal divine love as to soften human hearts and 
to lead them to repentance ; in other words, Christ'^ 
sufferings were necessary, not in order to remove an 
obstacle to the pardon of sinners which exists in the 



Christology 267 

mind of God, but in order to convince sinners that 
there exists no such obstacle" (Strong). 

Note : This theory was held by Horace Bushnell, of New 
England, and by Robertson, Maurice, Campbell, and Young, of 
Great Britain, and by Schleiermacher and Ritschl, of Germany. 

2. Objections. 

a. It is open to the same objection as the example 
theory of the atonement, in that it magnifies a subor- 
dinate into the principal effect of Christ's death. Our 
Lord's sufferings do produce a moral effect upon 
men; but suffering with the sinner is one thing and 
suffering in his stead quite another. 

b. Again, as Dr. Strong points out, like the ex- 
ample theory, it rests upon false philosophical princi- 
ples : as, "that righteousness is identical with benevo- 
lence, instead of conditioning it; that God is subject 
to an eternal law of love, instead of being Himself the 
source of all law ; that tlie aim of penalty is the reforma- 
tion of the offender." 

c. Again, it furnishes no proper reason for Christ's 
suiferings. "While it shows that the Saviour neces- 
sarily suffers from His contact with human sin and 
sorrow, it gives no explanation of that constitution 
of the universe which makes suffering the conse- 
quence of sin, not only to the sinner, but also to the 
innocent being who comes into contact with sin. The 
holiness of God, which is manifested in this constitu- 



268 Outline Studies 

tion of things and which requires this atonement, is 
entirely ignored" (Strong). 

d. Again, it contradicts the teaching of the Scrip- 
tures, like the example theory, in that it asserts that 
the atonement was necessary, not to satisfy God's 
justice, but merely to reveal His love; that Christ's 
sufferings were not propitiatory and penal; and that 
the human conscience does not need to be propitiated 
by Christ's sacrifice before it can feel the moral in- 
fluence of His sufferings. 

e. Again, "it can be maintained only by wresting 
from their obvious meaning those passages of Scrip- 
ture which speak of Christ as suffering for our sins; 
which represent His blood as accomplishing some- 
thing in heaven when presented there by our Inter- 
cessor; which declare forgiveness to be a remitting 
of past offenses upon the ground of Christ's death; 
and which describe justification as a pronouncing, not 
a making, just" (Strong). 

f. And again, "this theory confounds God's meth- 
od of saving men with men's experience of being 
saved. It makes the atonement itself consist of its 
effect in the believer's union with Christ and the 
purifying influence of that union upon the character 
and life" (Strong). 

g. Finally, "the theory confines the influence of 
the atonement to those who have heard it, — thus ex- 
cluding patriarchs and heathen. But the Scriptures 



Christology 269 

represent Christ as being the Saviour of all men, in 
the sense of securing them grace, which, but for His 
atoning work, could never have been bestowed consis- 
tently with the divine holiness" (Strong). 

C. The Grotian, or Governmental Theory of the 
Atonement. 

I. Statement. 

"The vicarious sufferings of Christ are an atone- 
ment for sin as a conditional substitute for penalty, 
fulfilling, on the forgiveness of sin, the obligation of 
justice and the office of penalty in moral govern- 
ment" (John Miley, of Drew). 

"This theory holds that the atonement is a satis- 
faction, not to any internal principle of the divine 
nature, but to the necessities of government. God's 
government of the universe cannot be maintained, nor 
can the divine law preserve its authority over its sub- 
jects, unless the pardon of offenders is accompanied 
by some exhibition of the high estimate which God 
sets upon His law and the heinous guilt of violating 
it. Such an exhibition of divine regard for the law 
is furnished in the sufferings and death of Christ. 
Christ does not suffer the precise penalty of the law, 
but God graciously accepts His suffering as a substi- 
tute for the penalty. This bearing of substituted suf- 
fering on the part of Christ gives the divine law such 
hold upon the consciences and hearts of men, that 



270 Outline Studies 

God can pardon the guilty upon their repentance, 
without detriment to the interests of His govern- 
ment" (Strong). 

Note : This theory was originated by Hugo Grotius, the 
Dutch jurist and theologian (1583-1645). It is commonly known 
as Arminianism. It is held prominently by the Wesleyan and 
Methodist Churches. 

2. Objections. 

a. Like the example and moral influence theories, 
it has the fatal defect of making subordinate the 
principal aim of the atonement, namely, the securing 
of the interests of God's government. 

b. Like the two former theories, it rests upon false 
philosophical principles : "that utility is the ground of 
moral obligation; that law is an expression of the 
will, rather than of the nature, of God; that the aim of 
penalty is to deter from the commission of offenses; 
and that righteousness is resolvable into benevo- 
lence" (Strong). 

c. Again, it "ignores and virtually denies that im- 
manent holiness of God of which law with its threat- 
ened penalties, and the human conscience with its 
demand for punishment, are only finite reflections. 
There is something back of government, and if the 
atonement satisfies government, it must be by satisfy- 
ing that justice of God, of which government is the 
expression" (Strong). 

d. Again, it "makes that to be an exhibition of 



Christalogy 271 

justice which is not an exercise of justice; the atone- 
ment being, according to this theory, not an execution 
of law, but an exhibition of regard for law, which 
will make it safe to pardon the violators of law. Such 
a scenic representation can inspire respect for law, 
only so long as the essential unreality of it is unsus- 
pected" (Strong). 

e. Again, it makes the sufferings of Christ in the 
garden and on the cross inexplicable "upon the theory 
that the atonement was a histrionic (that is, a kind of 
theatrical) exhibition of God's regard for His govern- 
ment, and can be explained only upon the view that 
Christ actually endured the wrath of God against hu- 
man sin" (Strong). 

f. Again, "the actual power of the atonement over 
the human conscience and heart is due, not to its ex- 
hibiting God's regard for law, but to its exhibiting an 
actual execution of law, and an actual satisfaction of 
violated holiness made by Christ in the sinner's 
stead" (Strong). 

g. Finally, "the theory contradicts all those pas- 
sages of Scripture which represent the atonement as 
necessary; as propitiating God Himself; as being a 
revelation of God's righteousness; as being an execu- 
tion of the penalty of the law; as making salvation a 
matter of debt to the believer, on the ground of what 
Christ has done ; as actually purging our sins, instead 
of making that purging possible ; as not simply as- 



272 Outline Studies 

suring the sinner that God may now pardon him on 
account of what Christ has done, but that Christ has 
actually wrought out a complete salvation, and will 
bestow it upon all who come to Him" (Strong). 

D. The Irvingian, or Theory of Gradually Extir- 
pated Depravity. 

I. Statement. 

"This theory holds that, in His incarnation, Christ 
took human nature as it was in Adam, not before the 
Fall, but after the Fall, — human nature, therefore, 
with its inborn corruption and predisposition to evil ; 
that, notwithstanding the possession of this tainted 
and depraved nature, Christ, through the power of 
the Holy Spirit, or of His divine nature, not only kept 
His human nature from manifesting itself in any ac- 
tual or personal sin, but completely purified it 
through struggle and suffering, until in His death 
He completely extirpated its original depravity, and 
reunited it to God. This subjective purification of hu- 
man nature in the person of Jesus Christ constitutes 
His atonement, and men are saved, not by any objec- 
tive propitiation, but only by becoming through faith 
partakers of Christ's new humanity" (Strong). 

Note : This theory was elaborated by Edward Irving, of 
England (1792-1834), and is held in substance by some German 
scholars. 



Christology 273 

2. Objections. 

a. It recognizes an important truth in the fact of 
the new humanity of Christ, of which all believers are 
partakers by faith; but it denies the fact of an objec- 
tive atonement, through which alone we can receive 
this new spiritual humanity. 

b. It rests upon false fundamental principles, 
namely : that law is identical with the natural or- 
der of the universe, and as such, is an exhaustive ex- 
pression of the will and nature of God; that sin is 
simply a power of moral evil within the soul, in- 
stead of also involving an objective guilt and desert 
of punishment; that penalty is the mere reaction of 
law against the transgressor, instead of being also 
the revelation of a personal wrath against sin; that 
the evil taint of human nature can be extirpated by 
suffering its natural consequences, — penalty in this 
way reforming the sinner" (Strong). 

c. It contradicts the plain teaching of Scripture, 
namely: "with regard to Christ's freedom from all 
taint of human depravity; misrepresents. His life as 
a growing consciousness of the underlying corruption 
of His human nature, which culminated at Geth- 
semane and Calvary ; and denies the truth of His own 
statements when it declares that He must have died 
on account of His own depravity, even though none 
were to be saved thereby" (Strong). 

d. Again, "it makes the active obedience of Christ 



2^4 Outline Studies 

and the subjective purification of His human nature 
to be the chief features of His work, while the Scrip- 
tures make His death and passive bearing of penalty 
the center of all, and ever regard Him as One who 
is personally pure and who vicariously bears the pun- 
ishment of the guilty" (Strong). 

e. Finally, the theory requires the "surrender of 
the doctrine of Justification, as a merely declaratory 
act of God; and requires such a view of the divine 
holiness, expressed only through the order of nature, 
as can be maintained only upon principles of pan- 
theism" (Strong). 

Note: The theory rests upon three chief arguments: First, 
that Paul teaches it in Romans 8.3 : "God having sent his own 
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh." To this Dr. Farr replies: 
"If Paul's language were 'in sinful flesh,' the theory would be 
plainly taught, but it is not. His words signify that the flesh 
of Christ was like the flesh of sin, inasmuch as it was flesh, 
but unHke, inasmuch as it was not affected with sin. Paul 
could not have said 'in sinful flesh' without making Christ par- 
taker of sin. He could not have said merely 'in flesh,' for then 
the bond between the manhood of Jesus and sin would have 
been wanting. He says, 'in likeness of flesh of sin,' meaning 
that Christ had a nature like sinful human nature but He had 
not Himself a sinful nature." Second, that it is clearly implied 
in the susceptibility of Christ to temptation and especially in 
knowing by experience how to succor those who are tempted, 
the latter being sinners. Again Dr. Farr replies : "This argu- 
ment is plausible, but not conclusive. For if it be necessary 
to have a depraved nature in order to feel the force of tempta- 
tion, then Adam and the angels must have been created with 



Christology 275 

depraved natures. Also, if it be necessary to have been in the 
moral nature of sinners who are tempted, in order to succor 
them, Christ must have had not only a sinful nature, but also 
a habit of sinning to qualify Him for His work." Third, that 
it is implied in a proper view of the atonement, because hu- 
manity in its fallen nature was summed up in the humanity 
of Christ and in that humanity paid the just penalty for all 
its sin. Once again Dr. Farr answers: "But the idea that the 
human nature of Christ was the whole human nature, in any 
other sense than that in wnich human nature is entire in any 
other man, is a mere fiction and fancy. H He bore the penalty 
of sin at all, it was not the penalty of His own personal sin, 
or sinfulness, but the penalty due to others for their sins. 
Bearing the penalty of His own sinfulness would not help them, 
unless it were in turn to bear the penalty of their sinfulness. 
This is self-evident and if there were anything vicarious in His 
suffering it presupposes His hohness rather than His sinfulness." 

E. The Anselmic, or Commercial Theory of the 
Atonement. 

I. Statement. 

''This holds that sin is a violation of the divine 
honor or majesty, and, as committed against an in- 
finite being, deserves an infinite punishment; that the 
majesty of God requires Him to execute punishment, 
while the love of God pleads for the sparing of the 
guilty; that this conflict of divine attributes is eter- 
nally reconciled by the voluntary sacrifice of the 
God-man, who bears in the virtue of the dignity of 
His person the intensively infinite punishment of sin, 
which must otherwise have been suffered extensively 



276 Outline Studies 

and eternally by sinners ; that this suffering of the 
God-man presents to the divine majesty an exact 
equivalent for the deserved sufferings of the elect; 
and that, as the result of this satisfaction of the di- 
vine claims, the elect sinners are pardoned and re- 
generated" (Strong). 

Note: This theory was first held by Anselm, of Canterbury, 
(1033-1109), who propounded it as a substitute for an earlier 
patristic view that Christ's death was a ransom paid to Satan, 
to deliver sinners from his power. Many Scotch theologians 
hold this view. 

2. Objections. 

a. It recognized an all-important truth in the fact 
that Christ's death satisfied a principle of the nature 
of Deity, but it errs in representing the majesty of 
honor as higher than the holiness of God; w^hile it is 
seriously at fault in admitting a conflict between the 
divine attributes. 

b. It overlooks entirely the value of the active 
obedience of Christ, and of His holy life. 

c. It gives "disproportionate weight to those passages 
of Scripture which represent the atonement under com- 
mercial analogies, as the payment of a ransom or 
debt, to the exclusion of those which describe it as 
an ethical fact, whose value is to be estimated not 
quantitatively, but qualitatively" (Strong). 

d. It Hmits the extent of the atonement to the 



Christology 2"]^] 

elect, thus ignoring the teaching of the Scripture that 
Christ died for all. 

e. It is "defective in holding to a merely external 
transfer of the merit of Christ's work, while it does 
not clearly state the internal ground of that transfer, 
in the union of the believer with Christ" (Strong). 

F. Substitutional, or Satisfaction Theory of the 
Atonement. 

This theory, the first suggestions of which are found 
in the writings of Augustine (4th century), was elab- 
orated by John Calvin (i6th century), and is today 
held by the Reformed and Presbyterian theologies. 
It is commonly known as Calvinism; sometimes it is 
called the "Orthodox Theory," or "Ethical Theory." 
It is, we believe, the true Scriptural view. 

a. Preliminary Points. 

I. The theory holds to a twofold element in 
Christ's substitution, namely: a vicarious obedience 
(known theologically as "active obedience") for 
righteousness, and a vicarious punishment (known 
theologically as "passive obedience") for sin. Thus, 
Christ takes the place of sinners in both penalty and 
precept, and, as their substitute, endures the punish- 
ment which on account of sin they deserve, and in His 
obedience fulfils the righteousness required of them. 



278 



Outline Studies 



2. Two Kinds of Substitution. 

There are two kinds of substitution, namely : uncon- 
ditional, which grants full and absolute deliverance 
to those for whom substitution is made; and condi- 
tional, which grants deliverance to those for whom 
substitution is made only on the terms agreed upon 
between the one who makes the substitution and the 
one who accepts it. Christ's substitution was con- 
ditional, dependent upon the repentance and faith 
of sinners. 

3. Two Kinds of Satisfaction. 

"The satisfaction of Christ means all He has done 
to satisfy the demands of the holiness and law of 
God in the place of and in behalf of sinners." There 
are two kinds of satisfaction, namely: pecuniary, a 
money payment, which can be made by anyone, and 
penal, blood payment, which can be made only by 
the guilty. Christ's satisfaction was penal ; the atone- 
ment was in His blood. 

4. Three Kinds of Penal Satisfaction. 

There are three kinds of penal (that is, vicariously 
penal) satisfaction. First, identical. Christ's death 
was not identical because the death of one could not 
be the same as the death of many: Mark 10.45. Sec- 
ond, equal. Christ's satisfaction was not equal, be- 
cause the death of the entire race of finite beings 
would not be equal to the death of the Infinite Being, 



Christology 279 

Jesus Christ. Third, equivalent. Christ's satisfac- 
tion was equivalent, because one infinite factor, Jesus 
Christ, is inconceivably greater than all the finite fac- 
tors making up the race of Adam. Illustration : a 
gold eagle ($10) weighs less than 500 pennies, but 
has double the value. 

b. The Two Questions Stated. 

There are two questions which conduct us into the 
heart of the atonement. And the answers to these 
questions give us its true philosophy. First : What 
did the atonement accomplish? Or, what was the 
object of Christ's death? Second: What were the 
means used? Or, how could Christ justly die? The 
answer to the former question views the atonement 
in its relation to God. The answer to the latter ques- 
tion views the atonement in its relation to man. 
Again, the answer to the first question is an unfolding 
of the meaning of Romans 3.25, 26. The answer to 
the second question is an unfolding of the meaning of 
II Cor. 5.21. 

c. The First Question Considered. 

What did the atonement accomplish? Or, what 
was the object of Christ's death? Briefly, the answer 
is threefold: 

I. It satisfied the outraged holiness of God: 



28o Outline Studies 

Psalm 22 \ Isa. 53; Rom. 3.25, 2(>\ 4.25; 8.3; Gal. 1.4; 
3.13; Heb. 9.15; I John 2.2; 4.10. 

2. It avenged the violated law of God: Gen 2.17; 
Ezek. 18.4, 20; Rom. 6.23. 

3. It exhibited the love of God, thereby furnishing 
man a motive for repentance from sin and faith to- 
wards Christ: John 3.16; 15.13; Rom. 5.8; I Pet. 
2.21 ; I John 4.9, 10. 

In viewing this aspect of the atonement Dr. Strong 
declares : **Its necessity is grounded in the holiness of 
God, of which conscience in man is a finite reflection. 
There is an ethical principle in the divine nature, 
which demands that sin shall be punished. Aside 
from its results, sin is essentially ill-deserving. As 
we who are made in God's image mark our growth 
in purity by the increasing quickness with which we 
detect impurity, and the increasing hatred which we 
feel toward it, so infinite purity is a consuming fire to all 
iniquity. As there is an ethical demand in our 
natures that not only others' wickedness, but our own 
wickedness, be visited with punishment, and a keen con- 
science that cannot rest till it has made satisfaction to 
justice for its misdeeds, so there is an ethical demand 
of God's nature that penalty follows sin." The same 
writer continues : "Punishment is the constitutional 
reaction of God's being against moral evil — the self- 
assertion of infinite holiness against its antagonist 
and would-be destroyer. In God this demand is de- 



Christology 281 

void of all passion, and is consistent with infinite 
benevolence. It is a demand that cannot be evaded, 
since the holiness from w^hich it springs is unchang- 
ing. The atonement is, therefore, a satisfaction of the 
ethical demand of the divine nature, by the substitu- 
tion of Christ's penal sufferings for the punishment 
of the guilty. This- substitution is unknown to mere 
law, and above and beyond the powers of law. It is 
an operation of grace. Grace, however, does not 
violate or suspend law, but takes it up into itself and 
fulfils it. The righteousness of law is maintained, 
in that the source of all law, the Judge and Punisher, 
Himself voluntarily submits to bear the penalty, and 
bears it in the human nature that has sinned. Thus 
the atonement answers the ethical demand of the di- 
vine nature that sin be punished if the offender is to 
go free. The interests of the divine government are 
secured as a first subordinate result of this satisfac- 
tion to God Himself, of whose nature the government 
is an expression : while, as a second subordinate re- 
sult, provision is made for the needs of human na- 
ture — on the one hand the need of objective satisfac- 
tion to the ethical demand of punishment for sin, and 
on the other hand the need of a manifestation of di- 
vine love and mercy that will affect the heart and 
move it to repentance." 

Note on Romans 3.25, 26. These verses expand the subject 
of the epistle — the revelation of the "righteousness of God," 



282 Outline Studies 

righteousness being that which God both provides and accepts. 
This righteousness is mentioned in 1.17, and in 1. 18-3.20 it is 
shown to be the only means whereby both Jew and Gentile can 
be saved. The commentator Meyer points out that in verse 
25 the phrase "in His blood" is to be taken with the verb "set 
forth." The purpose of this setting forth in Christ's blood 
he says is "for the display of God's judicial and punitive right- 
eousness, which received its satisfaction in the death of Christ 
as a propitiatory offering, and was thereby practically demon- 
strated and exhibited." On the expression "for the remission 
(literally, passing over) of sins that are past," Meyer's com- 
ment is: "because He (God) had allowed the pre-Christian sins 
to go without punishment^ whereby His righteousness had been 
lost sight of and obscured, and had come to need an exhibi 
tion to men." "Omittance," he says, "is not acquittance ; the 
passing over or passing by is intermediate between pardon and 
punishment. 'Through the forbearance of God' expresses the 
motive of the 'passing over or passing by.' Before Christ's 
sacrifice, God's administration was a scandal — it needed vin- 
dication. The atonement is God's answer to the charge of 
freeing the guilty." On verse 26 Meyers says that it presents 
the final purpose of God's act as set forth in verse 25, namely, 
"God's being just and His appearing just in consequence of 
this." On the whole passage Strong's comment is that it shows : 
(i) That Christ's death is a propitiatory sacrifice; (2) That 
its first and main effect is upon God; (3) That the particular 
attribute of God which demands the atonement is His justice, 
or holiness; (4) That the satisfaction of this holiness is the 
necessary condition of God's justifying the believer. 

d. The Second Question Considered. 

With respect to the atonement, v^hat were the means 
used: or how could Christ justly die? 



Christology 283 

Briefly, the answer is threefold : 

1. He took our flesh: John 1.14; Rom. 8.3; Gal. 
4.4; Heb. 2. 14-18. 

2. He inherited our guilt: H Cor. 5.21; Gal. 3.13. 

3. He bore ovir penalty: Isa. 53.4, 5; Matt. 20.28; 
H Cor. 5.21; Gal. 2.20; 3.13; I Pet. 2.24. 

The consequences of Adam's sin, both to himself 
and to his posterity, are: 

1. Depravity, or corruption of human nature. 

2. Guilt, or obligation to make satisfaction for 
sin to the holiness and the law of God. 

3. Penalty, or actual endurance of loss or suffering 
as punishment for sin. If Christ had entered the 
world in the natural way. He would have had deprav- 
ity; but through His virgin birth He escaped it: 
Luke 1.35; n Cor. 5.21 ; Heb. 7.26. However, because 
of His partaking of our common humanity Christ 
inherited guilt and could therefore justly bear pen- 
alty. (The word guilt is used in two senses: first, 
blameworthiness, or depravity ; and second, liability 
to punishment, or obligation to make satisfaction for 
sin. In the latter sense only can it be applied to 
Christ.) Moreover, the guilt which our Lord in- 
herited by birth was not of course the guilt of per- 
sonal sin. It could not be. It was primarily the 
guilt of Adam's sin, the guilt of the first, or original, 
transgression. But it was also the guilt of our sin — 
yours and mine. This is true, because as the branches 



284 



Outline Studies 



are organically and vitally united to the tree, so we 
are racially and vitally united with Adam. Thus 
"the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" : 
Isa. 53.6. An illustration may make clear how Christ 
can justly suffer exposure to our punishment. A 
murderer is hanged for his crime. A posthumous 
child is born and grows up personally guiltless of its 
father's sin. Neverthless, other children shun the 
child, as the son of a hanged murderer ! It is in- 
nocent, yet it bears the despised and rejected name of 
its father. The boy lives under the cloud of shame 
and disgrace hanging over the father's name, simply 
because he has been born into the family. He cannot 
escape it. So when Christ became partaker of our 
common humanity and was born into the human 
family. He inherited the curse resting upon the name 
of our father Adam. He could not escape it. Indeed, 
it was the just ground of His substitutional death 
for us. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of 
the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written. 
Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree" '(that is 
the Cross) : Gal. 3.13. 

Having the second question we are considering in 
view. Dr. Strong says : "Christ stands in such rela- 
tion to humanity, that what God's holiness demands 
Christ is under obligation to pay, longs to pay, inevi- 
tably does pay, and pays so fully, in virtue of His two- 
fold nature, that every claim of justice is satisfied, 



Christology 285 

and the sinner who accepts what Christ has done is 
saved. We have seen how God can justly demand 
satisfaction; we now show how Christ can justly make 
it; or, in other words, how the innocent can justly 
suffer for the guilty. The solution lies in Christ's 
union with humanity. The first result of that union 
is obligation to suffer for men, since, being one with 
the race, Christ had a share in the responsibility of the 
race to the law and the justice of God. In Him hu- 
manity was created ; at every stage of its existence 
humanity was upheld by His power ; .as the immanent 
God He was the life of the race and of every member 
of it. Christ's sharing of man's life justly and in- 
evitably subjected Him to man's exposures and lia- 
bilities, and especially to God's condemnation on ac- 
count of sin. . . . Christ's union with the race in 
His incarnation is only the outward and visible ex- 
pression of a prior union with the race which began 
when He created the race. As 'in Him were all 
things created,' and 'in Him all things consist' or hold 
together (Col. 1.16, 17), it follows that He who is the 
life of humanity must, though personally pure, be 
involved in responsibility for all human sin and 'it 
was necessary that the Christ should suffer' (Acts 
17.3). This suffering was the enduring of the re- 
action of the divine holiness against sin and so was a 
bearing of penalty (Isa. 53.6; Gal. 3.13); but it was 
also the voluntary execution of a plan that antedated 



286 Outline Studies 

creation (Phil. 2.6, 7), and Christ's sacrifice in time 
showed what had been in the heart of God from eter- 
nity (Heb. 9.14; Rev. 13.8)." 

Note on II Corinthians 5.21. This verse gives us the Scrip- 
tural support for the view that Christ inherited our guilt and 
so justly bore our penalty. Notice these three points. 

1. Our Lord had no depravity. "Him who knew no sin"; 
this expression teaches Christ's sinlessness. 

2. Our Lord incurred our guilt. "He was made to be sin 
for us." Since Christ had no depravity of nature, sin here must 
mean guilt, that is, obligation to suffer for sin. Indeed, Meyer 
calls attention to a parallel of meaning between "sin" here and 
"righteousness" a little later in the verse. He says that if 
righteousness means holiness, then sin must mean depravity; 
but if righteousness means justification^ then sin must mean 
condemnation. Of course, the latter is the true meaning; that 
is, Christ was constituted a condemned person in order that the 
believer might in Him be constituted a justified person. 

3. Our Lord bore our penalty. "He was made to be a sin 
offering for us." The term sin here must carry the double 
meaning of guilt and penalty: Heb. 10.18. Says Dr. Strong: 
"Penalty and sin are correlates ; if Christ mherited penalty, it 
must have been because He inherited guilt. This subjection 
to the common guilt of the race was intimated in Jesus' cir- 
cumcision (Luke 2.21), in His ritual purification (Luke 2.22-24; 
compare Ex. 13.2, 13), and in His baptism (Matt. 3.15)." 



TOPIC THREE: CHRIST AS KING. 

Note: The third topic under the work of Christ, namely 
His Kingship, belongs more properly to Eschatology, and in 



Christology 287 

particular to the study of the Millennium. Accordingly, its 
treatment will be presented there. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. What was the extent of Christ's prophetic min- 
istry ? 

2. What was the twofold nature of the prophetic 
office? 

3. In what five ways did Christ fulfil His prophetic 
ministry ? 

4. What is the extent of Christ's priestly ministry ? 

5. State clearly the idea of the priestly office. 

6. What was the threefold scope of the Old Testa- 
ment priesthood? 

7. Trace the parallelism between the three steps 
in the work of the atonement in the Old Testa- 
ment and in the ministry of Christ. 

8. Mention five types of the atonement in the Old 
Testament. Give references for all and discuss 
one of the types. 

9. Mention five predictions of the atonement in 
the Old Testam_ent. Give references and dis- 
cuss one of the predictions. 

10. Mention five New Testament witnessing terms 
of the atonement. Give references for all and 
discuss one of the terms. 

11. Show the fourfold necessity of the atonement. 

12. What is the extent of the atonement? 



288 



Outline Studies 



13. What is the Socinian, or Example Theory of the 
atonement? What facts, Scriptural and otherwise, 
refute it ? 

14. What is the Bushnellian, or Moral Influence 
Theory of the atonement? What facts, Scriptural 
and otherwise, refute it? 

15. What is the Grotian, or Governmental Theory 
of the atonement? What facts, Scriptural or 
otherwise, refute it ? 

16. What is the Irvingian, or Theory of Gradually 
Extirpated Depravity? What facts, Scriptural 
or otherwise, refute it? 

17. What is the Anselmic, or Commercial Theory 
of the atonement? What facts, Scriptural or 
otherwise, refute it? 

18. What, briefly, is the Satisfaction Theory of the 
atonement? (a) What are the two kinds of 
substitution? (b) What are the two kinds of 
satisfaction? (c) What are the three kinds of 
penal satisfaction? 

19. What two questions conduct into the heart of 
the atonement? 

20. What is the threefold answer to the first ques- 
tion? 

21. Give a brief exposition of Romans 3.25, 26. 

22. What is the threefold answer to the second 
question? 

23. Give a brief exposition of II Corinthians 5.21. 



DOCTRINE SEVEN: PNEUMATOLOGY. 



Part One: The Person of the Holy Spirit. 



Topics. 
I. Personality. 
II. Deity. 

III. Names. 

IV. Symbols. 

Part Two: The Work of the Holy Spirit. 



Topics. 

I. The Holy Spirit in Creation. 
11. The Holy Spirit in Christ. 

III. The Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. 

IV. The Holy Spirit in the Old and New 
Dispensations. 

V. The Holy Spirit in the Church. 

VI. The Holy Spirit in the World. 

VII. The Holy Spirit in the Believer. 



CHAPTER VII. 

PNEUMATOLOGY. 



PART ONE. 
THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



TOPIC ONE: PERSONALITY. 
I. STATEMENT. 

That the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, nor 
a mere influence, but possesses full, distinct personal- 
ity, is the clear and unmistakable teaching of Scrip- 
ture. 

Note : "A person is that which, when speaking, says T ; 
when spoken to, is called 'thou'; and when spoken of, is 
called 'his' or 'him'" (Farr), 

II. PROOF. 

That the Holy Spirit possesses personality the fol- 
lowing facts prove : 



292 Outline Studies 

A. Personal pronouns are used in relation to Him : 

John 14.16, 17; 15.26; 16.7-14. 

Note: The Greek noun for Spirit, literally signifying breath 
or wind, is pneuma, and is in the neuter. Yet in John 16.14 
the masculine demonstrative pronoun that one (ekeinos) is em- 
ployed, and in Eph. 1.14 (according to the best MSS.) the mas- 
culine relative pronoun who (os) is used. 

B. Personal qualities are ascribed to Him: 

1. Knowledge, I Cor. 2. 10-13; 12.8. 

2. Love, Rom. 15.30. 

3. Will, I Cor. 12.11. 

C. Personal acts are attributed to Him : 



Searches deep things of God, I Cor. 2.10. 

Speaks, Acts 13.2; 21. 11; Rev. 2.7, 11, 17, 29. 

Intercedes, Rom. 8.26. 

Testifies, John 15.26. 

Teaches, John 14.26. 

Guides, Acts 16.6. 

Commands and appoints. Acts 13.2, 4; 20.28. 

Communes, II Cor. 13.14. 

Works miracles, Acts 8.39 ; 10.38. 



D. Personal treatments are accorded Him: 

1. Grieved and rebelled against, Gen. 6.3; Isa. 
63.10; Acts 7.51; Eph. 4.30. 

2. Done despite to, Heb. 10.29. 

3. Lied unto, Acts 5.3. 



Pneumatology 293 

TOPIC TWO: DEITY. 

I. STATEMENT. 

That the Holy Spirit is a divine person is the clear 
and unmistakable teaching of the Scripture. 

Note: The word person in relation to the Trinity must not 
be understood in the exact sense in which it is applied to hu- 
man beings. This is true because the Three Persons, so-called, 
of the Godhead constitute but one God: Deut. 6.4. As used 
of the Trinity, the term person simply means that there are 
personal distinctions in the Godhead. 

II. PROOF. 

That the Holy Spirit possesses essential Deity, the 
following facts prove: 

A. Divine attributes and perfections are ascribed 
to Him: 

1. Eternity, Heb. 9.14. 

2. Omniscience, John 14.26; 16.12, 13. (R. V.) ; 
I Cor. 2.10. 

3. Omnipotence, Luke 1.35. 

4. Omnipresence, Psa. 139.7-10. 

B. Divine works are ascribed to Him: 

1. Creation, Job 33.4; Psa. 104.30. 

2. Life-giving, Gen. 2.7; John 6.63; Rom. 8.2. 

3. Prophecy, II Sam. 23.2, 3; II Peter 1.21. 



294 Outline Studies 

C. The name of the Holy Spirit is coupled in 
equality with the names of God and Christ. 

1. Apostolic Commission, Matt. 28.19. 

2. Apostolic Benediction, II Cor. 13.14. 

3. Administration of the Church, I Cor. 12.4-6. 

Note: In Eph 4.4-6 the name of the Holy Spirit occurs first 
and in Rom. 15.30 it occurs second. 

D. The Holy Spirit is identified with Jehovah of 
the Old Testament: Isa. 6.8-10 with Acts 28.25-27; Jer. 
31.31-34 with Heb. 10.15-17; Ex. 16.7; Heb. 3.7-9; 
Gen. 1.27; Job 33.4; Psa. 95.8-1 1. 

E. The Holy Spirit can be blasphemed: Matt. 
12.31. 

F. The Holy Spirit can be worshiped: II Cor. 13. 
14. 

G. The Holy Spirit is called God and Lord: Acts 
5.3; n Cor. 3.17, 18, R. V. 



TOPIC THREE: NAMES. 

The following are the principal Scriptural names 
of the Holy Spirit: 

1. The Spirit, Psa. 104.30; John 3.6-8; I Cor. 2.10 
(R. v.). 

2. The Spirit of God, I Cor. 3.16. 



Pneumatolagy 295 

3. The Spirit of Jehovah, Isa. 11.2; 61. i. 

Note: When the word "Lord^' in the Old Testament is 
written in capitals, the meaning is always "Jehovah." 

4. The Spirit of the Living God, II Cor. 3.3. 

5. The Spirit of Christ, Rom. 8.9. 

6. The Spirit of His Son, Gal. 4.6. 

7. The Spirit of Jesus Christ, Phil. 1.19. 

8. The Spirit of Jesus, Acts 16.7 (R. V.). 

9. The Holy Spirit, Luke 11. 13. 

Note: The word Ghost is an old English word for Spirit. 

10. The Spirit of Burning, Isa. 4.4. 

11. The Spirit of Holiness, Rom. 1.4. 

12. The Holy Spirit of Promise, Acts 1.4, 5; Eph. 

1. 13. 

13. The Spirit of Truth, John 14.17; 15.26; 16.13. 

14. The Spirit of Life, Rom. 8.2. 

15. The Spirit of Grace, Heb. 10.29. 

16. The Spirit of Glory, I Peter 4.14. 

17. The Eternal Spirit, Heb. 9.14. 

18. The Comforter, John 14.26; 15.26. 

Note: A better translation of the Greek word would be 
Paraclete, which literally signifies "one called to the side," i. e., 
for help. 

All these names have spiritual significance, and we 
may know the Holy Spirit experimentally in the 
various relationships expressed by His names. 



296 Outline Studies 

TOPIC FOUR: SYMBOLS. 

The principal symbols of the Holy Spirit are the 
Dove, Water, Fire, Wind, Wine, and Oil. 

Note: The term "symbol," from two Greek words sun, to- 
gether, and ballo, to throw, signifies, literally, something thrown 
alongside of another, that is, to represent and explain it. In 
other words, a symbol is a material emblem portraying and un- 
folding a spiritual reality. 

I. THE DOVE. 

The scene at Jesus' baptism, when the Holy Spirit 
descended upon Him "like a dove," shows clearly 
that the Dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit : Matt. 
3.16; Mark i.io; Luke 3.22; John 1.32. 

The following traits of the Dove in Scripture may 
be noted: 

1. Love, Song of Songs 5.2; Rom. 5.5; 15.30; Gal. 
5-22, 23. 

2. Purity, Song of Songs 5.2; 6.9. 

Note: In Leviticus the dove is a sacrificial bird and hence 
clean. 

3. Peace, Gen. 8.8-12; Psa. 55.6; Song of Songs 
2.12 (R.V. turtle dove) ; Gal. 5.22. 

4. Modesty, Song of Songs 2.14; John 16.13. See 
also Isa. 42.1, 2. 



Pneumatology 297 

5. Harmlessness and Innocence, Matt. 10.16. 
Note: The dove has no gall. The Holy Spirit can be 

grieved, but not angered: Eph. 4.30. 

6. Beauty, Psa. 68.13; Song of Songs, 1.15; 2.14. 

7. Tenderness and Gentleness, Isa. 38.14; 59.11. 
Note: "The dove represents the motherhood of God, Gen. 

1.2. It possesses a special fondness for a home, Isa. 60.8, and 
it is a bird that instincts the change of seasons, Jer. 8.7. (R.V.) 
See also Song of Songs 2.12" (Schultz). 

II. WATER. 

Water is a double symbol — of the Word and of the 
Spirit. 

1. As a symbol of the Word it represents cleans- 
ing: Psa. 1 19.9; John 15.3; 17.17, 19; Eph. 5.26. 

2. As a symbol of the Spirit it represents refresh- 
ment, satisfaction, and fulness: Psa. y2.^\ Isa. 41.18; 
43.19; 44.3; John 4.14; 7-37-39; Rev. 21.6; 22.17. 

Note : "This water comes out of the rock, Psa. 105.41 ; I Cor. 
10.4; out of the well, John 4.14; out of the clouds. Acts 2.33; 
3.19; out of the Word, Isa. 55.10, 11. Moreover, it is like 
a well springing up, John 4.14; like a bucket pouring out, 
Num. 24.7; like clouds showering down, Joel 2.28, 29; Mai. 
3.10; Acts 2.33; like rivers flowing, Ezek. 47; and like the 
dew silently dropping, Deut. 33.28; Prov. 3.20" (Schultz). 

III. FIRE. 

Like water, fire is also a double symbol — of the 
Word and of the Spirit. 



298 Outline Studies 

A. As a symbol of the Word it signifies searching 
and purification, Jer. 23.29. 

B. As a symbol of the Spirit it represents three 
things, namely: 

1. The presence of God, Ex. 3.2-6; I Kings 18.38; 
Isa. 63.9-14; Acts 2.3. 

2. The power of God (same references as above). 

3. The purging of God, Isa. 4.4; 6.6, 7; Mai. 3.3; 
Matt. 3.1 1 ; Heb. 12.29. 

Note: "This symbol does not so much suggest consumption 
and combustion as the subtle electric energy. It is an all-pre- 
vailing mighty force, energizing, illuminating, beautifying, and 
working all manner of wonders. . . . Fire is the great purify- 
ing and cleansing agent in nature. What fire is to the natural 
world, the Holy Spirit is to the supernatural world" (Farr). 

IV. WIND. 

This symbol denotes life and activity. It refers par- 
ticularly to two aspects of the Spirit's work in man, 
namely: 

1. Born of the Spirit, Gen. 2.7; Ezek. 37.5-10; 
John 3.3-8; Titus 3.5. 

2. Baptized with the Spirit, Matt. 3.1 1 (with in 
the R. V. is rendered in); Mark 1.8; Luke 3.16; Acts 

1-5. 

Note: Dr. Farr says, "This symbol suggests the idea of 
universal expansion, life, and activity. Air is everywhere, touch- 
ing, penetrating, and sustaining all things. Wind is air in mo- 



Pneumatology 299 

tion; gently, in a breeze, swiftly, in a gale; and by the circula- 
tion of air currents, healthfulness and purity are carried over 
the earth. The Holy Spirit is likewise the source and producer 
of natural, intellectual, and spiritual life, purity, and power." 

V. WINE. 

As a symbol of the Spirit, wine stands for stimula- 
tion, exhilaration, and hence, rejoicing: Psa. 104.15; 
Prov. 31.6; Isa. 55.1; Luke 5-37-39; John 2,1-11; Acts 
2.13; Eph. 5.18. 

Note: Dr. Farr says, "In Eph. 5.18, two possible sources 
of stimulation are indicated — drunkenness and Deity; full of 
wine or full of the Spirit. Satan was called by Augustine 
Simius Dei, the ape of God, because he counterfeits the work 
of God. Human nature needs a stimulus of some kind. Doubt- 
less, the Holy Spirit was intended to be the only original stim- 
ulus of humanity, but Satan has invented alcohol as a substitute, 
stealing the nomenclature of the truth to mask the lie, i. e., 
aqua vitae, eau de vie" 

VI. OIL. 

The name Messiah in both Hebrew and Greek 
signifies the anointed one: Isa. 61. 1-3; Luke 4.14-18. 
The key to the meaning of oil as a symbol of the 
Spirit is I Sam. 16.13. It signifies: 

1. Enduement of gifts for ministry, Isa. 61. i ; Acts 
10.38; I Cor. 12.7-11. 

2. Bestowment of graces for living, Psa. 23.5 ; Gal. 

5-22, 23. 



300 Outline Studies 

3. Healing for the body, Isa 1.6; James 5.14. 

4. Illumination and revelation, John 16.12-15; I 
Cor. 2.9-16; Eph. 1. 17-18; I John 2.20, 27. 



PNEUMATOLOGY. 



PART TWO. 

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

In taking up the work of the Holy Spirit, a pop- 
ular misconception needs to be removed. This is the 
result of the teaching of Sabellius, namely: that in 
creation, God the Father works; in redemption, God 
the Son works; and in salvation, God the Spirit 
works. Another way of putting it is, that the Old Testa- 
ment dispensation was the dispensation of the Father ; 
the New Testament dispensation, the dispensation of 
the Son; and the present dispensation, the dispensa- 
tion of the Spirit. Quite to the contrary, the Scrip- 
tures teach that in every manifestation of the works 
of God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are alike 
active. Thus, to use the classification of Sabellius, 
in creation, in redemption, and in salvation, we trace 
the working of each member of the Trinity. And in 
general, the working of each member of the Trinity 
is this : in every divine activity, the power to bring forth 
proceeds from the Father; the power to arrange pro- 
ceeds from the Son ; and the power to perfect proceeds 



302 Outline Studies 

from the Spirit: Rom. 11.36; I Cor. 8.6. Consequently, 
the office work of the Holy Spirit in every phase and 
sphere of the divine activity is to bring forward to com- 
pletion that which has been conceived by the Father and 
executed by the Son. 

Note: The works of God have been divided theologically 
into His indwelling and outgoing works. The hidden or in- 
dwelling works concern God's invisible operations; the mani- 
fest or outgoing works concern His visible works or opera- 
tions. The indwelling works belong to Eternity; the outgoing 
works belong to Time. From another point of view, the in- 
dwelling works relate to God's Being; the outgoing works re- 
late to His Activities. For example, the question of the Trinity, 
the eternal generation of the Son, and the procession of the 
Spirit (whether from the Father alone or from the Father and 
the Son) refer to the indwelling works of God, which have not 
been fully revealed, and therefore cannot be clearly understood. 



TOPIC ONE: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN 
CREATION. 

I. AS THE WORK OF THE TRINITY. 

In the Scriptures, creation is ascribed to each mem- 
ber of the Trinity: 

1. The Father, Gen i.i. 

2. The Son, Col. 1.16; Heb. 11.3. 

3. The Holy Spirit, Psa. 33.6; 104.30. 

Note: In the work of creation, three forces are manifestly 
operating: a causative force proceeding from the Father; a 



Pneumatology 303 

constructive force, proceeding from the Son; and a perfective 
force, proceeding from the Holy Spirit. 

II. AS THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

The special work of the Holy Spirit in creation is, as 
Dr. Kuyper, the Dutch theologian, expresses it, "To 
lead creation to its destiny, which is the glory of God." 
In other words, the particular work of the Holy Spirit 
is to sustain and mature life and to bring order and 
beauty into the universe. We note the following points : 

1. Bringing order into the universe, Gen. 1.2. 

2. Creating and garnishing the heavens, Job 26.13; 
Psa. 33.6; Isa. 40.13. 

3. Renewing the face of the earth, Psa. 104.30. 

4. Sustaining vegetation, Psa. 104. 10- 13. 

5. Sustaining the animal creation, Psa. 104.11, 12, 14, 
21, 27. 

6. Giving life to man. Gen. 2.y\ Job 33.4. 

7. Sustaining and controlling man's life, Gal. 5.22, 
23; Eph. 5.18. 



TOPIC TWO: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRIST. 

With respect to our Lord, the Holy Spirit fulfils a 
distinct office work. We may trace the following stages : 

1. In the prediction of His coming, I Pet. 1.10-12. 

2. In His birth of the virgin, Matt. 1.20; Luke 1.35. 

3. In His symmetrical development, Luke 2.40, 52. 



304 Outline Studies 

4. In His official consecration, Matt. 3.16, 17; Mark 
1.9-11; Luke 3.21, 22; John 1.31-34. See Isa. 61. 1-3 
and Luke 4.16-22. 

5. In His wilderness temptation, Matt. 4.1-11; Luke 

4-I-I3- 

6. In His ministry of preaching and healing, Matt. 
12.28; Luke 4.16-22; Acts 10.38. 

7. In His death on the Cross, Heb. 9.14. 

8. In His resurrection, Rom. 1.4; 8.1 1; I Tim. 3.16. 

9. In His post-resurrection ministry, Acts 1,2. 

10. In His bestowment of the Holy Spirit, John 
15.26; Acts 2.33; Eph. 4.8. See Psa. 68.18. 

11. In His representation by the Holy Spirit, John 
14.16. 

12. In His intercessory ministry, Rom. 8.26, 2.y, 34. 

13. In His return. Rev. 22.17. 

14. In His millennial reign, Isa. 32.15. 



TOPIC THREE: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 
SCRIPTURES. 

In the Holy Scriptures, the Spirit of God has 
performed one of His greatest works: II Tim. 3.16; II 
Pet. 1.20, 21. This subject has been fully developed 
under Bibliology. Here we briefly notice a threefold 
work in giving the Scriptures: 

I. Revelation, Gen. 3.16; Ex. 20.1-12; Rev. 1.1-12. 

Note: Revelation in this connection means the giving new 



Pneumatology 305 

truth which the unaided human mind could not discover. 

2. Inspiration, II Sam. 23.1, 2; John 14.26; 15.26; 

Note: Inspiration concerns the transmission of truth, both 
old and new. 

3. Illumination, I Cor. 2.10-12; Eph. 1.17, 18. 

Note i. Illumination concerns the apprehension of revealed 
truth. 

Note 2. The Holy Spirit also seals, interprets, and applies the 
Scriptures to our hearts. 



TOPIC FOUR: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 
OLD AND NEW DISPENSATIONS. 

By the Old Dispensation is meant the period from 
Adam to Pentecost; by the Nev^ Dispensation is meant 
the period from Pentecost to the Second Coming of 
Christ. 

A. Distinction between Dispensations. 

The distinction between the work of the Spirit in the 
old dispensation and in the new is a difficult subject. 
After all is said that can be said, much more light is 
needed for clearness of apprehension and accuracy of 
statement. To begin with, it is quite commonly said that 
the difference is expressed by two Greek prepositions : 
Upon (epi), and in (en), 1. e., that the Holy Spirit in the 
old dispensation came upon men, while in the new dis- 
pensation he indwells them. But this distinction will not 



3o6 Outline Studies 

hold, because in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit in- 
dwelt men, while in the New Testament He came upon 
men, that is, baptized them: Gen. 41.38; Ex. 31.3; 
Num. 27.18; Dan. 5.1 1; Luke 24.49; Acts 1.8. Per- 
haps the best point of approach to the subject is the 
Christian Church. In the Old Testament, except in type 
and symbol, there is no church, the body of Christ, of 
which He is the Head and which is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost. Have we not here the essential distinction 
in the office work of the Spirit of God in the two dis- 
pensations? May we not say, then, that in the Old 
Testament age, chosen individuals were the objects of 
the Spirit's grace for life and gifts for service; while 
in the New Testament and the present age He works in 
and upon the body of Christ and individuals as mem- 
bers of that body? Individual persons — the body of 
Christ; these expressions give the key to the difference 
between the two dispensations: I Cor. 12.13. 

B. The Work of the Spirit in the Old Dispensa- 
tion. 

Generally speaking, in the Old Testament age, we 
trace a threefold work of the Spirit : 

1. His action upon the hearts of individuals, in sav- 
ing grace; for example, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, 
Moses, Samuel, David, etc. : Gen. 5.22, 24 (Enoch) ; 
Heb. 1 1.5. (grace for life) ; Jude 14, 15 (gifts for serv- 
ice). 

2. His action upon prophets, priests, and kings — a 



Pneumatology 307 

holy external operation to qualify them for office: Lev. 
8.10; I Sam. lo.i. 

3. His action upon divinely appointed workmen, in 
conferring gifts and talents for the service of the people : 
Ex. 31.2, 3, 6 (Aholiab and Bezaleel) ; Isa. 45.1 ; Zech. 
4.6. 

Note i. In his book on the Holy Spirit, Dr. G. Campbell 
Morgan mentions a fourfold work of the Holy Spirit in the Old 
Testament : 

1. Coming upon men, literally, clothing Himself with them. 
For example. Judges 6.34. 

2. Coming upon men mightily, literally, forcing them into 
something. For example, Samson, Judges 15.14. 

3. Indwelling men; for example, Joseph and Joshua, Gen. 
41.38; Num. 27.18. 

4. Fitting and filling men for special service, Ex. 31.1, 2 
(Aholiab and Bezaleel). 

Note 2. In his little book, "Plain Papers on the Doctrine of 
the Holy Spirit," Dr. Scofleld says, "In the Old Testament the 
Spirit of God is revealed as a divine person. As such He is 
associated in the work of Creation ; strives with sinful man 
(Gen. 6.3) ; enlightens the spirit of man (Job 32.8; Prov. 20.27) ; 
gives skill to the hand (Ex. 31.2-5) ; bestows physical strength 
(Judges 14.6) ; and quaHfies the servants of God for a varied 
ministry (Ex. 28.3; 35.21, 31 ; Num. 11.25-29; I Sam. chaps. 16, 17; 
II Sam. 23.2). To this should be added that operation of the 
Spirit by which the men of faith in the Old Testament ages 
were regenerated. While this doctrine is not explicitly taught 
in the Old Testament (except prophetically) our Lord's words 
in John 3.5 and Luke 13.28 leave no doubt as to the fact itself. 
Since the new birth is essential to seeing and entering the King- 
dom of God, and since the Old Testament saints are in that 



3o8 Outline Studies 

Kingdom, it follows necessarily that they were bom of the 
Spirit. But, since that was the period of nonage as Paul ex- 
plains (Gal. chaps. 3 and 4) they had not the indwelling Spirit 
of sonship. They were minors (under tutors and governors). 
It should be remembered also that to the Old Testament saint 
no way was revealed by which he might receive the Holy 
Spirit. All the offices of the Spirit were reserved within the 
sovereign will of God. He sent His Spirit upon whomsoever 
He would. That the Spirit came upon an individual did not 
by any means prove him to be in salvation. Even a sincere 
believer had no assurance that the Holy Spirit might not forsake 
him (Psa. 51.11), whereas, the believer of this dispensation has 
an express promise of the abiding of the Spirit." 

C. The Work of the Spirit in the New Dispen- 
sation. 

In the new dispensation, we may distinguish a three- 
fold work of the Holy Spirit. 

1. Giving birth to the Christian Church on the day 
of Pentecost, as a body of living members of which 
Christ is the risen Head: I Cor. 12.12-27; Eph. 1.22, 

23. 

2. Informing and infilling the Church with His pres- 
ence and power: Eph. 2.19-22. 

3. Conferring gifts and graces upon the Church: 
Rom. 12.6-8; I Cor. 12.4-11, 28-31; Gal. 5.22, 23. 



TOPIC FIVE: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 
CHURCH. 

This subject has been anticipated in the work of the 



Pneumatology 309 

Holy Spirit in the Old and New Dispensations. More- 
over, the work of the Spirit of God in the Church and in 
the believer is much the same, for whatever is true of 
the Church as the body of Christ is also true of the be- 
lievers as members of that body. But in a general way 
we may trace a sevenfold work of the Holy Spirit in and 
through the Church: 

1. Organizing it at Pentecost, as the body of Christ, 
Acts 2.1-4; Eph. 1.22, 23. 

2. Possessing it, as the temple of God, I Cor. 6.19, 
20; II Cor. 6.16; Eph. 2.21, 22. 

3. Equipping it with gifts and graces for service 
(see last topic). 

4. Giving it the body of inspired truth (see Topic 

III). 

5. Giving it the Spirit of illumination and guid- 
ance into all truth, John 16.13; I John 2.20, 2y. 

6. Presiding over and guiding the Church into all 
the will of God, Acts 15.28. 

7. Completing the body of the Church by calling out 
a people for the name of Christ, Acts 15. 14-18. 



TOPIC SIX: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 
WORLD. 

There are some who hold that the Holy Spirit has 
no office work in relation to the world. It is clear, how- 
ever, that He has a threefold ministry: 



3IO Outline Studies ' 

1. He restrains the development of evil until God*s 
purpose is fulfilled, 11 Thess. 2.J. 

2. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, 
John 1 6.8-1 1. 

3. He bears witness to the truth of God in preaching 
and testimony, John 15.26, 2"] \ Acts 5.30-32. 



TOPIC SEVEN: THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 
BELIEVER. 

The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer is a vast 
subject. It covers, indeed, the whole field of the Chris- 
tian life, which in every phase and development is the 
result of His gracious and glorious activity. It will be 
well, then, to study the subject from more than one 
point of view. 

A. UNION WITH CHRIST. 

One of the most striking and beautiful ways in which 
to study the work of the Spirit of God in the children of 
God is to look at it in relation to our own union with 
Christ. 

I. MEANING. 

Union with Christ means such a connection of the 
believer with the Lord Jesus Christ as constitutes a 
just and reasonable ground for his inheritance by faith 
of all the benefits of the atonement. This just and rea- 



Pneumatology 311 

sonable ground is our being made partakers of the di- 
vine nature: II Pet. 1.4. 

In our study of the atonement, we sought for a just 
and reasonable ground for Christ's inheriting our guilt 
and bearing our penalty ; and we found it in His par- 
taking of our nature: Heb. 2.14. So, likewise, for our 
inheriting Christ's righteousness and bearing the weight 
of His glory, both here and hereafter, we find a just and 
reasonable ground in our being made one with Him by 
spiritual birth: I Cor. 6.17. There is an exact parallel 
here; by incarnation Christ rightly takes our place in 
penalty, and by regeneration we rightly take His place 
in holiness. 

II. SYMBOLISM. 

There are five New Testament symbols of the be- 
liever's union with Christ. (See "The Crisis of the 
Deeper Life," pp. 10-17.) 

B. GENERAL SCRIPTURE ASPECTS. 

We group here a number of passages in which the 
work of the Holy Spirit in the beHever is set forth: 

1. Regeneration, John 3.5; Titus 3.5. 

2. Sanctification, II Thess. 2.13; I Pet. 1.2. 

3. Freedom from sin and death, Rom. 8.2. 

4. Strengthened with power, Eph. 3.16. 

5. Sonship, Rom. 8.14. 



312 Outline Studies 

6. Witness to sonship, Rom. 8.16. 

7. Produces fruit, Gal 5.22, 23. 

8. Guides into all truth, John 16.13. 

9. Divine Remembrancer, John 14.26. 

10. Reveals the deep things of God and interprets and 
applies them, I Cor. 2.9-14. 

11. Confers power to communicate revealed truth to 
others. Acts 1.8; I Cor. 2.1-4; I Thess. 1.5. 

12. Guides in prayer, Rom. 8.26; Eph. 6.18; Jude 20. 

13. Inspires thanksgiving, Eph. 5.18-20. 

14. Inspires worship, Phil. 3.3. R. V. 

15. Separates for definite service, Acts 13.2-4. 

16. Guides in the minutiae of life, Acts 8.27-29; 16. 

6,7- 

17. Quickens the mortal body, Rom. 8. 11. 

C. SPECIAL DOCTRINAL ASPECTS. 

As to the work of the Holy Spirit in and upon the 
believer, two views are held : 

1. He begins His work at the time of conversion. 
This view is held by those who believe strongly in the 
freedom of the human will. 

2. He begins His work before the time of conver- 
sion — perhaps as early as birth or even before birth. 
This view is held by those who believe strongly in the 
sovereignty of God. 

There is truth in both views. In those who are to be- 
come children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, we must 



Pneumatology 313 

believe that the Holy Spirit works before conversion — 
providentially guiding, preserving, and controlling 
their lives: Psa. 139.13-18; Jer. 1.5; Gal. 1.15, 16. 

Of the many words and expressions used in Scripture 
to set forth the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
believer we choose six New Testament terms as compre- 
hending and representing the extent and intent of Chris- 
tian experience, namely: Election, Calling, Conversion, 
Justification, Regeneration, and Sanctification : Act 3.19; 
Rom. 4.25; 8.29, 30; II Thess. 2.13; II Pet. i.io; Titus 
3.5. 

I. ELECTION. 

1. Kinds. 

There are three distinct elections mentioned in the 
Scriptures: First, National, as in the case of Israel: 
Rom. 9.1 1 ; 1 1.5-28; Second, Official, as in the case of 
Aholiab and Bezaleel: Ex. 31. 1-6; and Third, Redemp- 
tive, as in the case of the Church and the believer: I 
Thess. 1.4; II Pet. i.io. 

2. Redemptive Election. 

Redemptive Election may be defined as God's deter- 
mination from eternity to save certain individuals, apart 
from any merit of their own, on the ground of their 
foreseen faith. This is predestination. 

Note: In Romans 8.29, two verbs occur, namely, "fore- 
know" and "predestinate." The Greek word translated "fore- 



314 Outline Studies 

know" occurs in Acts 26.5; Rom. 8.29 and 11. 2; I Pet. 1.20; 
II Pet. 3.17. The Greek word translated "predestinate" oc- 
curs in Acts 4.28; Rom. 8.29, 30; I Cor. 2.7; Eph. 1.5, ii. 
The Greek word rendered "foreknow" implies prescience of 
character; the Greek word translated "predestinate" implies de- 
termination founded on such prescience of character. 

II. CALLING. 

There are two distinct callings mentioned in the Scrip- 
tures : First, General, through the public proclamation 
of the Gospel: Isa. 45.22; 55.6; 65.12; Ezek. 33.11; 
Matt. 11.28; 22.3; Mark 16.15; John 12.32; Rev. 3.20; 
and Second, Special, through the personal call of the 
Holy Spirit: Luke 14.22; 14.23; Rom. 1.7; 8.30; 11.29; 

I Cor. 1.23, 24, 26; Phil. 3.14; Eph. 1.18; I Thess. 2.12; 

II Thess. 2.14; II Tim. 1.9; Heb. 3.1 ; II Pet. i.io. 

Note: The general call of the Spirit may be called ordinary; 
the special call of the Spirit, extraordinary. The former is ex- 
ternal, the latter is internal. While the latter can be resisted 
unto destruction, it is generally efficacious unto salvation. 

in. CONVERSION, 

I. Definition. 

Conversion may be defined as that voluntary change 
in the mind of the sinner in which he turns, on the one 
hand, from sin, and on the other hand, to God. This 
turning away from sin is a negative element and is re- 



Pneumatology 3 1 5 

pentance; the turning to God is a positive element 
and is faith. ^ 

Note: Conversion is the human side of salvation. The word 
'■conversion," from the Latin, means a turning again — a right- 
about-face movement While God is said to convert men and 
they to convert their fellow-men, yet the Scriptures uniformly call 
upon men to convert themselves; that is, to turn away from 
sin to God: Psa. 85.4; S. of S. 1.4; Prov. 1.23; Isa. 31.6; 59-20 ; 
Jer, 31.18; Ezek. 14.6; 18.32; 33.9, 11; Joel 2.12, 14; James 
5.19. 20. 

2. Repentance. 

Repentance may be defined as the voluntary change 
in the mind of the sinner whereby he turns from sin. It 
involves a change of view, a change of feeling, and a 
change of purpose. 

Note : The Greek word translated ''repentance" means a 
change of mind. 

3. Elements of Repentance. 
These are three: 

a. Intellectual. This is a recognition of sin as per- 
sonal guilt and defilement: Psa. 51; Rom. 1.32; Rom. 
3.19, 20. 

b. Emotional. This is heart sorrow for sin as com- 
mitted against God : II Cor. 7.9, 10. 

c. Volitional. This is a renunciation of all sin: Jer. 
25.5; Acts 2.38; Rom. 2.4. 

Note: Repentance that stops short of the volitional element 
is not true Scriptural repentance. Along with repentance must 



3i6 Outline Studies 

go reparation and restitution. (See "The Crisis of the Deeper 
Life," page 33) 

4. Faith. 

Faith may be defined as that voluntary change in the 
mind of the sinner whereby he turns to God. Like re- 
pentance, it involves a change of view, a change of feel- 
ing, and a change of purpose. 

5. Elements of Faith. 
These are three: 

a. Intellectual. This is belief in the existence of God 
and in the teaching of the Scriptures : John 2.22, 23 ; 
James 2.19. 

b. Emotional. This is personal faith that Christ is 
the only Saviour from sin: Matt. 13.21; John 5.35; 
8.30, 31. 

c. Volitional. This is the actual surrender to Christ 
and present trust in Him as Saviour and Lord: Acts 
16.31 ; Rev. 3.20. 

Note: Faith that stops short of the volitional element is not 
"saving faith." All three elements are found in Heb. 11.6. 

IV. JUSTIFICATION. 

I. Definition. 

Justification may be defined as that judicial act of 
God by which, on account of Christ, to whom the 
sinner is united by faith, He declares that sinner to 



Pneumatology 317 

be no longer exposed to the penalty of the law but 
restored to divine favor. 

Note: In the New Testament, the word "justify" means not 
to make righteous, but to declare righteous. And justification 
is the state of one who is thus declared righteous: Rom. 8.10; 
I Cor. 1.30. 

2. Elements of Justification. 

These are two, namely: the remission of punishment 
and the restoration to favor. 

A. The remission of punishment. The penalty of 
sin is remitted to the sinner on the ground of what 
Christ has done on the Cross. 

1. As the act of a Judge, there is pardon, Mic. 7.18. 

2. As the act of a Father, there is forgiveness, Psa. 
130.4. 

B. Restoration to favor. The sinner is restored 
to God's favor on the ground of Christ's perfect obe- 
dience to the law of God. 

1. As an act of restored friendship, this is called 
reconciliation, II Cor. 5.18. 

2. As an act of created sonship, this is adoption, John 
1. 12; Rom. 8.15; Gal. 4.5; Eph. 1.5; I John 3.2. 

3. Ground of Justification. 

This is not the works of tlie Law, nor human desert, 
Acts 13.39; Rom. 3.20; Gal. 2.16; but it is the blood 
of Christ, Rom. 3.24, 25; Rom. 5.1, 9; Gal. 3.13; I Pet 
2.24. 



3i8 Outline Studies 

4. Condition of Justification. 

This is faith, Acts 13.39; Ro^i- 3-26; 4.5; 5.1. 

Note: The ground and the condition of justification must 
not be confused. What Christ has done is the ground of 
justification; our faith in Christ is simply the means whereby 
we receive the blessings of this atoning work. 

These are peace, Rom. 5.1 ; freedom from condemnation, 
Rom. 8.1; heirs of God, Titus 3.7; .saved from wrath, Rom. 5.9; 
glorification, Rom. 8.30. 

V. REGENERATION. 

1. Scripture Definitions. 

There are a number of Scriptural representations of 
regeneration which are not so much exact definitions as 
vivid descriptions of the truth. 

a. A new heart and a new spirit, Ezek. 36.26. 

b. Born again, or born from above, John 3.3. 

c. A passing from death unto life, John 5.24; Eph. 
2.1, 5; I John 3.14. 

d. A new creation, II Cor. 5.17; Gal. 6.15. 

e. A partaking of the divine nature, II Pet. 1.4. 

f. A making anew of the mind, Rom. 12.2. 

Note : Regeneration is not a Scripture term, but it means a 
rebirth. The word does occur in the English translation, but 
in the sense of a spiritual generation or birth: Titus 3.5. 

2. Theological Definitions. 

Following are a few theological definitions of regen- 
eration which more or less approximate the truth. 



Pneumatology 319 

a. Regeneration is a spiritual work wrought by the 
Spirit of God in the spirit of man. 

Note: This definition does not define regeneration. It could 
be applied to any work of the Spirit in the Christian life. 

b. Regeneration is the giving of a new bent or di- 
rection to the affections and will. 

Note: This is an inadequate description of regeneration; it 
covers a part but not the whole. 

c. Regeneration is the communication of the divine 
nature to man by the operation of the Holy Spirit 
through the Word. 

Note: This is from Dr. A. J. Gordon of Boston, and is per- 
haps the best available. 

3. Necessity. 

The necessity of regeneration is expressed in the di- 
vine "must" of Jesus in John 3.7. One can pass from 
natural life, or the flesh, into supernatural Hfe, or the 
Spirit, only by new birth : John 3.6. 

4. The Agent, or Instrument. 

This is the Holy Spirit applying and working through 
the Word of God: John 15.3; 17.17; I Cor. 4.15; Eph. 
5.25,26;! Pet. 1.23-25. 

Note : For a brief statement of the doctrines of Justification 
and Regeneration, see "The Crisis of the Deeper Life," 
pp. 35-42. 



320 Outline Studies 

VI. SANCTIFICATION. 

1. Scriptural Definitions. 

The holiness of the Christian flows from vital con- 
tact with God. This contact has both a divine and 
human side. 

2. The Divine Side. 

On the divine side there are two points of contact, 
namely, the Cross of Christ and the Gift of the Spirit. 

a. The Cross of Christ. 

The first point of divine contact, whereby holiness 
is received, is the Cross of Christ, and the first step in 
the path of victory is the vision of the Cross. In 
Christian experience the apprehension of divine truth 
comes before its appropriation and realization. Vision 
precedes victory. The child of God must see his spir- 
itual inheritance before he can enter upon its actual 
possession. In sanctification the highlands of deliver- 
ance loom up while the behever is struggling along 
on the lowlands of defeat. 

Let us try to see clearly just what the vision of 
victory is. It is all wrapped up in the simple phrase : 
"through Jesus Christ our Lord." This expression 
means three things: First, our identification with 
Christ in His crucifixion ; second, our identification 
with Christ in His resurrection; and third, Christ's 
identification with us through His personal indwell- 
ing. 



Pneumatology 321 

I. Our identification with Christ in His crucifixion. 

There are two aspects in which the beUever stands 
related to the cross of Christ, viz. : substitution and 
identification. 

Of these truths, perhaps substitution is the more 
famihar. Christ died for us. He bore our sins on the 
cross. He took our place under wrath and endured the 
penalty which we deserved. This is the vision of the 
cross which comes to the helpless sinner; and when he 
appropriates it by faith it brings salvation from the guilt 
of sin. This is the meaning of "Christ our Saviour": 
Isa. 53:6; Heb. 13:12. 

The second aspect of our relation to the cross — iden- 
tification — needs special emphasis, because it is not well 
understood by all Christians. Christ died for us — that 
is true ; but it is only half the truth. We died in Christ — 
that is the other half of the truth. The statement is only 
partially true that Christ died for us that we might es- 
cape punishment. It requires also to be said that God 
regards us as having been punished in Christ. To make 
the truth individual, in the person of my Substitute I 
bore the penalty of sin. In Him the law exhausted its 
power of death upon me. When Christ died, I died too. 
With reference to the claim of the law and the power of 
sin, I am, in the sight of God, counted as a dead man. 
This is what Paul meant, when he declared, 'T am cru- 
cified with Christ," Gal. 2.20. This also is 
the clear teaching of such passages as the following: 



322 Outline Studies 

Rom. 6.4, 5, 8, II ; 74; II Cor. 5.14; Col. 3.3; Col. 2.12. 

2. Our identification with Christ in His resurrection. 

This is the second part of the vision of victory. In 
the same two aspects in which the believer stands re- 
lated to the crucifixion of Christ he also stands related 
to His resurrection — substitution and identification. 
Christ was our Substitute both in His crucifixion and 
in His resurrection; not only did He die for us on the 
cross, for us also He arose from the grave. 

Now, in His resurrection, as well as in His crucifixion, 
the believer is identified with Christ. This is what Paul 
meant when he said, *T am crucified with Christ ; never- 
theless I live," Gal. 2.20. To make the truth 
personal, I died with Christ; but I also rose with Him. 
I was in Him when He hung on the cross and when He 
lay in the grave; but I was also in Him when He burst 
the bands of death on the morning of the resurrection. 
Indeed, the Apostle Paul carries the identification still 
farther: "Crucified with Christ" — this expresses the 
death-side of our union with the Lord. "Risen with 
Christ" — this expresses the life-side of our union with 
Him. Let us take a few verses which bring out this 
life-side of our union with Christ — our identification 
with Him in His resurrection: Rom. 4.25; I Cor. 15.14, 
17, 20; Rom. 6.4, 11; II Cor. 5.14, 15; Col. 2.12; 3.1, 3, 

Of this twofold identification of the believer with 
Christ in His death and resurrection, baptism is an 
impressive symbolical representation. 



Pneumatology 323 

Baptism has a twofold significance. In the first place, 
it is the outward sign and visible seal of the inner work 
of grace wrought by the Spirit of God in regeneration. 

But, in the second place, baptism in its deeper spiritual 
meaning is a symbol of death. It is not a rite of cleans- 
ing, but a type of crucifixion and resurrection : Rom. 6.3, 
4; Col. 2.12. 

3. Christ's identification with us through His per- 
sonal indwelling. 

This is the last part of the vision of victory and the 
most glorious of all. Christ Himself, by the Holy Ghost, 
will come and dwell in our hearts and live out His own 
life within us : Gal. 2.20; John 14.20, 21 ; Col. 1.27; Rom. 
15.29. 

It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the Chris- 
tian life is a Christ-life. It is not an imitation, but an 
incarnation. We do not copy Christ, we reproduce 
Him; or, rather. He reproduces His own life within us 
by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. 

Once there lived another man within me, 
Child of earth and slave of Satan he; 

But I nailed him to the cross of Jesus, 
And that man is nothing now to me. 

Now Another Man is living in me, 
And I count His blessed life as mine; 

I have died with Him to all my own life; 
I have ris'n to all His life divine. 

— Rev. a. B. Simpson. 



324 Outline Studies 

b. The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 

The identification of the believer with Christ in His 
death and resurrection is the historical and incomplete 
side of holiness ; the transformation of the believer in 
character and conduct through the reception of the gift 
of the Holy Ghost is the experimental and complete side 
of holiness. 

I. The Experience of the Apostohc Church. 

In the experience of the Apostolic Church, as recorded 
in the book of Acts, there were three things that were 
closely connected, namely : Conversion, Baptism, and the 
Reception of the Holy Ghost: Acts 2.38, 39. 

Three facts would seem to be clear : First, conver- 
sion, baptism, and the reception of the gift of the Holy 
Ghost are three separate and distinct things; second, 
these three things, while separate and distinct, are yet 
closely related both as doctrines and as experiences ; and 
third, these three things are here stated in their normal 
order and vScriptural relationship. A careful examina- 
tion of the book of Acts leads to two conclusions, name- 
ly: First, in some instances the Holy Ghost was re- 
ceived at the time of conversion; and second, in other 
instances the Holy Ghost was received subsequent to 
conversion. 

In the following instances the Holy Ghost was re- 
ceived at the time of conversion : Acts 2.38-41 ; 10. 
44-48. 

In other instances the Holy Ghost was received sub- 



Pneumatology 325 

sequent to conversion: Acts 8.12-17; 19. 1-6; 9.17, 18. 

2. The Teaching of the ApostoHc Writings. 

We have studied the experience of the ApostoHc 
Church, with reference to the definite reception of the 
Holy Ghost, as recorded in the book of Acts. Now, 
let us turn to the teaching of the Epistles. 

Let us cite a few passages vv^hich refer to the posses- 
sion of the Holy Spirit or to the indwelling of the risen 
Christ. These two classes of passages may be grouped 
together, for it is the baptism of the Holy Ghost which 
brings to our hearts the revelation of the indwelling 
Christ: I Cor. 3.16, 17; Rom. 8.9, 10; I Cor. 12.13; 
II Cor. 13.5; Gal. 3.2; 4.19; Eph. 3. 14-19; Col. 1.27. 

A careful examination of the above and similar pas- 
sages discloses two striking facts, namely : First, in some 
instances the baptism or possession of the Holy Spirit is 
closely identified with regeneration or conversion; and 
Second, in other instances these experiences are separated 
in point of time. But this is just the conclusion which 
we reached from our study of the book of Acts. Thus 
the experience of the Apostolic Church and the teach- 
ing of the Apostolic writings agree: and, indeed, this 
must be so, for the Holy Spirit was the Inworker of the 
one as He was the Inspirer of the other. 

3. The Spiritual Crisis in the Life of our Lord. 

At thirty years of age a marked crisis came in the 
life of our Lord. It was then, at the river Jordan, that 
Christ was not only baptized in water by John the Bap- 



326 Outline Studies 

tist, but also baptized with the Holy Ghost by His Heav- 
enly Father. 

What was the significance of this crisis in the life of 
Christ ? From His birth till His baptism the Holy Spirit 
was with Christ; but from His baptism till His passion 
the Holy Spirit was within Him. After the crisis at the 
river Jordan two Divine Personalities were inseparably 
united — Jesus of Nazareth and the Spirit of God. 

Now, the Apostle John tells us that ''as He is, so are 
we in this world" (I John 4.17). In this experience, 
therefore, as in all other things, Christ is our Divine 
Pattern. So, after we have been born of the Spirit — and 
it should not be long afterwards — we must be baptized 
with the Spirit. It is then, in connection with taking 
Christ as our sanctification, that we receive the Person 
of the Holy Ghost as our indwelling and abiding Com- 
forter. When once He comes into our hearts. He never 
leaves us. 

3. The Human Side. 

Contact with God, whereby the Christian becomes 
partaker of the Holiness of Christ, has a human as 
well as a divine side. 

On the human side, contact is formed by a step of 
entire surrender and an act of appropriating faith. 

a. A Step of Entire Surrender. 
Another name for surrender is consecration. But as 
consecration is really a divine work, surrender is a bet- 



Pneumatology 327 

ter term. The Christian can yield his heart and Ufe, but 
he cannot consecrate them ; only God can do that. Thus, 
the Old Testament priests did not consecrate them- 
selves; Moses, acting for Jehovah, consecrated them; 
the priests could only yield themselves to be conse- 
crated. 

Surrender is giving up — a yielding to God. The be- 
liever must lay his whole life on the altar, relinquish all 
right to its control, and count himself henceforth and 
forever the Lord's. Surrender is a painful act. It means 
separation; it means sacrifice; it means self-denial; it 
means death: Lev. 8.1-13; Rom. 6.13; 12. i; Matt. 16.24. 

Self-denial, which is the essence of surrender, does not 
mean giving up things; it means giving up self. 

Surrender to God must be voluntary, complete, and 
final. 

I. It must be voluntary. 

Unless the step of surrender be taken voluntarily, 
the surrender will be made only in name, and will have 
no spiritual value. God calls men, but does not coerce 
them. In making choices and in deciding destiny, the 
will is free. It is true that God will supply motives to 
right action, but He will not arbitrarily determine the 
decision of the will. Accordingly, if the will does liot 
yield, there is no surrender ; and if the will is not free in 
its action, the surrender is not voluntary. Compulsory 
surrender is the result of force; voluntary surrender is 



328 Outline Studies 

the result of love: Gen. 22.16, 17; Phil. 3.7-1 1; Psa. 
40.6-8; Heb. 10.5-9; Phil. 2.5-8; Rom. 12.1, 2. 

2. It must be complete. 

Unless surrender be complete, it is not surrender at 
all. A partial consecration is not sufficient ; God will not 
accept a divided heart. We must not keep back part of 
the price. If we expect God to give Himself wholly to 
us, we must give ourselves wholly to Him. In the hour 
of surrender it is a good thing to make a mental inven- 
tory of our lives — spirit, soul, body, strength, time, tal- 
ents, character, reputation, possessions, etc. — and then 
lay everything absolutely and unreservedly upon the 
altar: Mai. 3.10. 

3. It must be final. 

Unless surrender be final, it cannot be called true sur- 
render. When rightly understood, surrender to God 
can neither be repeated nor recalled; it is unalterable 
and irrevocable. There are Christians who have a hab- 
it of making a reconsecration of their lives on every 
favorable occasion. Indeed, some believers give them- 
selves anew to God with each recurring day. The motive 
which prompts to this act is of course entirely right, but 
the practice itself is clearly unscriptural. Thus Paul 
declared, "that He is able to keep that which I have com- 
mitted unto Him against that day": II Tim. 1.12. See 
also John 10.27-29; Psa. 118.27. 

b. An Act of Appropriating Faith. 

The gift of the Holy Ghost is received not only by a 



Pneumatology 329 

step of entire surrender but also by an act of appropria- 
ting faith. These two conditions must go together and in 
this order. Surrender is yielding to God ; faith is taking 
from God. Again, surrender is negative and passive, 
while faith is positive and aggressive. Moreover, just as 
the step of surrender must be voluntary, complete, and 
final, so the act of faith must be definite, vital, and ap- 
propriating. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. Prove from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is a 
Person. 

2. Prove from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is God. 

3. Mention ten names of the Holy Spirit with ref- 
erences. 

4. What are the symbols of the Holy Spirit ? Discuss 
briefly any one of thern. 

5. What is the erroneous classification of Sabellius 
concerning the work of the Trinity ? 

6. What is the true Scriptural view? 

7. In every work of God, what is the particular func- 
tion of the Father? Of the Son? Of the Spirit? 

8. What are meant by the indwelling and outgoing 
works of God? 

9. What would be an example of the indwelling work ? 

10. What is the work of the Trinity in Creation? 

11. What is the special work of the Ploly Spirit in 
Creation? Mention five particulars. 



330 Outline Studies 

12. Trace the various stages of the work of the Holy 
Spirit in the Person and career of Christ. 

13. What is the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
Scriptures ? 

14. What marked distinction can be made between the 
work of the Holy Spirit in the old dispensation and 
in the new dispensation? 

15. What was the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
old dispensation? 

16. What is the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
new dispensation? 

17. What is the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
world ? 

18. What is the special work of the Holy Spirit in the 
Church ? 

19. Discuss briefly the subject of the believer's union 
with Christ. 

20. Mention ten general Scriptural aspects of the work 
of the Holy Spirit in the believer. 

21. What two views are held with respect to the time 
when the Holy Spirit begins His work in and upon 
the one who is to become a Christian? 

22. What six fundamental doctrines may be taken as 
comprising the Christian life? 

23. How is the term ''election" used in the Scriptures? 

24. Define redemptive election. 

25. How is the term "calling" used in the Scriptures? 



Pneumatology 331 

2^. Distinguish between the general and special call of 
the Holy Spirit. 

2y. Write a brief but comprehensive paper on the Doc- 
trine of Conversion. 

2&. Write a brief but comprehensive paper on the Doc- 
trine of Justification. 

29. Write a brief but comprehensive paper on the Doc- 
trine of Regeneration. 

30. Write a brief but comprehensive paper on the Doc- 
trine of Sanctification. 

31. Show the relation of the Holy Spirit to the healing 
of our bodies. 



II 



DOCTRINE EIGHT: ECCLESIOLOGY. 

Topics. 

I. The Idea of the Church. 
II. The Twofold Meaning of the Church. 
III. The Local Church. 
IV. The Organization of the Church. 
V. The Government of the Church. 
VL The Worship of the Early Church. 
VII. The Discipline of the Church. 
VIII. The Ordinances of the Church. 
IX. The Ministry of the Church. 
X. The Destiny of the Church. 



I 



ll 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ECCLESIOLOGY. 



TOPIC ONE: THE IDEA OF THE CHURCH. 

The fundamental New Testament idea of the Church 
is brought out in the Greek verb kalein, signifying to 
call, with its derivatives and compounds. 

1. Kalein: This Greek word, which means "to call" 
denotes the first act of Christ in point of time in con- 
nection with the Church: Rom. 8.30; I Cor. 1.9; II 
Thess. 2.14; I Pet. 2.9. 

2. Kleetoi: This word, which means "the called," 
designates the members of the Church: Rom. 1.6, 7; 
8.28; I Cor. I.I, 2; Jude i. 

3. Kleesis: This word, which means "calling," de- 
notes the peculiar vocation of the Church: Rom. 11.29; 
I Cor. 1.26; Eph. 4.1, 4. 

4. Parakleetos : This word, which is commonly trans- 
lated "comforter," designates the indwelling and inform- 
ing Spirit in the Kleetoi (the called): John 14.16, 17; 
Rom. 8.9, II ; I Cor. 3.16; Eph. 2.22. 

5. Epikalein : This word points out the distinct and 
distinguishing act of the Kleetoi — to call on Christ, i. e., 
to invoke Him in prayer: I Cor. i.i, 2; Rom. 10.9, 13; 
Acts 22.16; Acts 9.14, 21; 7.58, 59. 



336 Outline Studies 

6. Parakalein : ' This word points out the distinct and 
distinguishing act of Kleetoi towards one another — to 
call to, exhort, or strengthen in the faith: Heb. 3.13; 
10.25; I Thess. 3.2. 

7. Ekkleesia: This word designates the company, 
body, or organism of the Kleetoi, 1. e., the Church: 
Matt. 16.18; 18.17. 

Note: Gathering up the combined meanings of all these 
Greek words, we may say that the root idea of the Church is that 
of a company of believers called out from the world and in- 
dwelt by the Spirit of God, whose special and peculiar min- 
istry toward God is prayer, and toward one another is ex- 
hortation and consolation. 



TOPIC TWO: THE TWO-FOLD MEANING 
OF THE CHURCH. 

There are two usages of the Greek noun Ekkleesia 
or Church in the New Testament: 

I. The Church Universal, a Spiritual Body, com- 
posed of believers of all ages and times who are united 
to God by faith in Jesus Christ: Eph. 1.2; 3.21 ; Heb. 
12.23. 

II. The Church Local, a Visible Body of believers 
united to God by faith in Jesus Christ. Of this usage 
of the word there are three special applications : 

I. A small company in a house : Rom. 16.5 ; Philemon 
2. 



Ecclesiology 337 

2. The Christian congregation of a town or city: 
I Cor. 1.2; I Thess. i.i. 

3. The group of churches in a country or nation: 
Gal. 1.2. 

Note i. To the above New Testament usages of the word 
Church we may add two later and modern meanings : namely, 
the branches of Christendom, as the Greek Church, the Roman 
Church, the Protestant Church, the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
the Methodist Church, etc. ; and the material building in which 
the members of a church worship, as the First Reformed Church 
of Nyack, New York. 

Note 2. The word Church occurs twice in the gospels, both 
instances being in Matthew, and both in the future. In chap. 
16.18 Christ refers to the spiritual and invisible church uni- 
versal; and in chap. 18.17, He refers to the church local and 
visible. As a spiritual organism, the church may be viewed 
in two aspects, namely: in time, Matt. 16.18, and in eternity, 
Eph. 3.9-1 1. When the Christian Church of a city or town is 
mentioned, the word Ekkleesia is in the singular number; when 
a country or nation is spoken of, the plural number is found, 
Acts 13. 1 ; Gal. 1.2. 



TOPIC THREE: THE LOCAL CHURCH. 

From this point onward we shall confine our atten- 
tion to the Local, or Visible Church ; and it will be de- 
sirable to get a clear working definition of a New Testa- 
ment church. Of these we give three. 

L The Local Church is *'a body of professed be- 
lievers in Christ, baptized on a credible confession of 



338 Outline Studies 

faith in Him, and associated for worship, work, and 
discipline" (H. G. Weston). 

II. "The Local, or Individual, Church is a company 
of believers voluntarily united together in accordance 
with Christ's laws, for the purpose of maintaining wor- 
ship and observing the ordinances" (F. W. Farr). 

III. A Church is a company of believers called out 
from the world, voluntarily joined together and meet- 
ing at stated times, among whom the Word of God is 
preached, discipline is administered, and the ordi- 
nances observed. 

Note: There are those who would add to this definition the 
two ideas of regeneration and baptism; and we feel that this 
would be in full accord with the New Testament teaching on 
this subject. 



TOPIC FOUR: THE ORGANIZATION OF 
THE CHURCH. 

The Church Universal and Invisible is an organism, 
but the Church Local and Visible is an organization. 
This is shown by three facts : 

I. Stated meetings. The Apostolic Christians met 
regularly for worship from house to house — at first 
every day in the week, but later, on the first day of the 
week, or Sunday, which was called the Lord's Day 
because it celebrated His resurrection from the grave : 
Acts 2.46, 47; 20.7; I Cor. 16.2; Rev. i.io. 



Ecclesiology 339 

2. Election or appointment of officers: Acts 1.15- 
26; Acts 14.23; Titus 1.5. 

3. Officers. There were two officers of the local 
church in New Testament times, namely: the Deacon, 
and the Elder, or Bishop. 

In post-apostolic times and in later church history, 
the elder and the bishop represented two distinct offices, 
the latter being the higher. But in the New Testament, 
the terms elder and bishop represent one office: Acts 
20.17, 28; Phil, i.i; I Tim. 3.1 8; Titus 1.5, 7; I Pet. 
5.1. The word bishop in Greek means an overseer, and 
the word elder in Greek means one of adult years, 
possessing experience and counsel. The word deacon 
means "minister,'' or "helper." The elder, or bishop, had 
oversight of the spiritual interests of the church, while 
the deacon was in charge of the temporalities. While 
both "bishop" and "elder" come from the Greek, the word 
"bishop" is taken from the municipal usage of Greek 
cities, while the word "elder" is taken from the Jewish 
usage of local synagogues. The date of the appointment 
of deacons was about 33 A. D. : Acts 6.1-6. The date of 
the appointment of elders was about 45 A. D. : Acts 11.30. 

Two other officers of the early church may be men- 
tioned, namely: the deaconess, Phil. 4.3; Rom. 16. i; and 
the evangelist, Eph. 4.1 1. The evangelists were itin- 
erating preachers, not restricted to any one local church. 

Note : Pastors and prophets are also mentioned among the 
oflScers of the early church: I Cor. 12.28; Eph. 4.1 1. While 



340 Outline Studies 

Agabus and the daughters of Philip predicted the future, yet 
the New Testament gift of prophecy corresponded to our pres- 
ent conception of the ministry of the true preacher of the Word : 
I Cor. 14.3. 



TOPIC FIVE: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE 
CHURCH. 

There are three forms of church government, namely : 

1. The Episcopal, or government by bishops. 

2. The Presbyterial, or government by elders. 

3. The Congregational, or government by members 
themselves. 

There is no rigid system of church government pre- 
scribed in the New Testament. While there are sug- 
gestions of Episcopal and Presbyterial government (Acts 
20.17, 2^>' 14-23; Titus 1.5), yet there are indications 
that the Congregational form of government prevailed 
over the other two. Three points may be mentioned. 

1. Every church had the power of disciplining and 
excluding its members: Matt. 18.17; I Cor. 5.1-5; II 
Thess. 3.6. 

2. Each church elected its own officers: Acts 1.26; 
6.1-6. 

3. Each church had the power of determining all 
matters not already determined by the Scriptures: 
I Cor. 11.34. 



Ecclesiology 341 

TOPIC SIX: THE WORSHIP OF THE EARLY 
CHURCH. 

There were seven features in the pubUc worship of 
the early church, namely: 

1. Praise (Singing). 

2. Prayer. 

3. Prophecy, I Cor. 14.3. 

4. Scripture reading with comment. 

5. Reading of apostolic letters. 

6. Collections for the poor. 

7. Celebration of the Lord's Supper (weekly at 
first). 

Note : The spirit of worship was characterized by four 
things. 

1. It was humble. 

2. It was reverent. 

3. It was grateful. 

4. It was joyful. 

(Luke 24.52, 53; Acts 2.46.) 



TOPIC SEVEN: THE DISCIPLINE OF THE 
CHURCH. 

I. Definition. Discipline may be defined as the 
correction or expulsion by the church of one or more 
of its members for immorality of life, of- heresy of 
doctrine. 



342 Outline Studies 

II. Kinds of offenses. There are two kinds of 
offenses of which a church member may be guilty, 
namely, public and private. And there are two kinds 
of discipline corresponding to these offenses, namely, 
public and private. 

III. Forms of Discipline. Church discipline, 
whether private or public, may take one of three 
forms. 

1. Private reproof. 

2. Public reproof. 

3. Excommunication. 

The law of private discipline is found in Matt. 5.23, 
24; 18.15-17. And the law of public discipline is found 
in such passages as I Cor. 5.3-5; 5.13; H Cor. 2.6-8; 
II Thess. 3.6. 

Note : There are only three ways for a member to get out of a 
local church, namely: by death, dismissal by letter, and ex- 
clusion by trial or withdrawal under charges. After a church 
member has been excommunicated, he should be dealt with ten- 
derly as a brother, and his restoration sought through repent- 
ance and faith. 



TOPIC EIGHT: THE ORDINANCES OF THE 
CHURCH. 

I. DEFINITION. 

The ordinances are those outward rites which 



Ecclesiology 343 

Christ has appointed to be administered in each 
church as visible signs and seals of the saving truth 
of the Gospel. 

II. NUMBER. 

The ordinances are two in number and only two, 
namely, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

Note: The Church of Rome makes seven ordinances or 
sacraments, namely, Ordination, Confirmation, Matrimony, Ex- 
treme Unction, Penance, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. 

A. BAPTISM. 

I. Definition. Baptism is the initiatory rite of ad- 
mission into the Christian Church. It is the symbol of 
union with Christ: Matt. 28.19; Mark 16.15, 16. 

II. Significance. This is twofold, namely: 

1. It is the badge of discipleship, the public con- 
fession of Christ as Saviour and Lord. 

2. It is the sign and seal of participation by faith 
in the death and resurrection of Christ. 

Note: Baptism is not the New Testament equivalent of the 
Old Testament rite of circumcision ; for circumcision was a sym- 
bol of cleansing, while baptism is a symbol of death. The con- 
ditions of baptism and the mode of baptism, as well as the sub- 
jects of baptism, are controversial topics among Christians. 
The writer feels free simply to express his personal view and 
conviction as to the teaching of the New Testament. In his 
judgment, adults and only adults are the proper subjects of 



344 Outline Studies 

baptism; repentance and faith in Christ are the essential con- 
ditions of baptism, and immersion seems to be clearly indicated 
by the symbolism of the ordinance: Acts 2.38-41; 8.12; Rom. 
6.1-4; I Cor. lo.i, 2; Col. 2.12. 

B. THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

I. Definition. The Lord's Supper is an ordinance 
instituted by Christ for observance by His followers, 
and consisting in the consecration of bread and wine 
with the words of institution and the subsequent eat- 
ing and drinking of the consecrated elements. The 
Lord's Supper is a symbol of the believer's communion 
with Christ: Matt. 26.26-30; Luke 22.19, 20; I Cor. 
11.23-34. 

Note: Baptism may be called the sacrament of regeneration; 
the Lord's Supper, the sacrament of sanctification. There are 
various names in use for this latter ordinance, namely: The 
Lord's Supper, the Communion, the Eucharist, the Sacrament 
of the Lord's Supper, the Memorial Supper, and the Ordinance 
of the Lord's Supper. 

II. Views. There are four principal views of the 
Lord's Supper that are current among Christians: 

I. Transubstantiation. This is the Roman Cath- 
olic view. It holds that through the consecration by 
the priest the elements of bread and wine are con- 
verted into the real body and blood of Christ. Thus 
the communicant partakes of Christ, physically, 
through the mouth, entirely apart from spiritual ap- 
prehension by faith. 



Ecclesiology 345 

2. Consubstantiation. This is the Lutheran view. 
It holds that while the bread and wine are unchanged, 
there is yet a real, though mystical, partaking of Christ 
through the mouth. This, however, is not apart from 
faith, but is the mystery of the sacrament and is not 
explainable. 

3. The Zwinglian view. This holds that the 
Lord's Supper is simply a commemoration of His 
person and sacrifice. It is merely a memorial feast. 
The Lord is not present to devout feeling and spiritual 
apprehension, except as our departed loved ones 
are present, when we call them to mind and dwell 
upon their virtues and good deeds. 

4. The Calvinistic view. This is the generally ac- 
cepted evangelical view of the Protestant Church. 
Contrary to the Romanist view, it holds that there is 
no conversion of the elements into the real presence 
of Christ. Again, contrary to the Lutheran view, it 
holds that there is no physical partaking of Christ 
through the mouth. Still again, contrary to the 
Zwinglian view, it holds that the Lord's Supper is 
more than a memorial feast. The Calvinistic view 
holds that after consecration the elements remain un- 
changed, and that apart from devout feeling and spir- 
itual apprehension the Supper has no value. But 
it does maintain that through the elements, in a way 
that can be realized by no other means of grace, the 
believer is brought into vital touch with Christ, and 



34^ Outline Studies 

by faith may eat His flesh and drink His blood, and 
thus abide in Him. The truth symbolized by the 
Supper is unfolded in John 6.51-58. Augustine, in the 
fourth century, expressed the very heart of the spirit- 
ual significance of the communion when he said, "Be- 
lieve, and thou hast eaten." 



TOPIC NINE: THE MINISTRY OF THE 
CHURCH. 

The Ministry, or Mission of the Christian Church 
is twofold: Evangelization and Edification. 

I. EVANGELIZATION. 

Evangelization may be defined as the efforts put 
forth by the Church for the salvation of men from sin 
and error. It is the primary mission of the Church. 
Contrary to the post-millennial view, we are not to 
bring the world to Christ, but to bring Christ to the 
world. There is a vast difference. To preach the 
Gospel as a witness to all nations and to take out of 
them a people for Christ's name is the fundamental 
mission of the Church in the present dispensation : 
Matt. 28.19, 20; Mark 16.15; Acts 1.8; 15. 14-18. 

Note: There are two beautiful symbols of the ministration 
of the Church to the world; these are salt and light. Salt is 



Ecclesiology 347 

a preservative, giving both savor and flavor to society. Light 
is a symbol of testimony, the witness which the Church bears 
to the world, both by the purity of its doctrine and the piety of 
its members. 

II. EDIFICATION. 

Edification may be defined as the building up of the 
Church in truth and grace. After sinners have been 
saved, they must be indoctrinated in the truth of the 
Scriptures and possessed and filled by the Holy Spir- 
it. There are five agencies which contribute to the 
edification of the Church: 

1. The Christian Ministry, Eph. 4.1 1, 12. 

2. The Word of God, Col. 3.16; I Pet. 2,2\ Heb, 

5-14. 

3. The Holy Spirit, Gal. 5.25; Eph. 5.18. 

4. The Gifts of the Spirit, I Cor. 12.4-12. 

5. The Sacraments. 



TOPIC TEN: THE DESTINY OF THE 
CHURCH. 

The Destiny of the Christian Church is threefold: 

I. To be married as a chaste virgin to Christ, Rev. 
21.9; n Cor. 1 1.2; Eph. 5.27. 

II. To reign with Christ as a Royal Consort, Rev, 
1.6; 3.21; I Pet. 2.9; Rev. 20.6, 



348 Outline Studies 

III. To show forth throughout all the coming ages 
the praise, the grace, and the glory of God, Eph. 1.6, 
12; 3.10. 

Note: There are three words that bring out these three re- 
lationships of the Church to Christ: Bride, Queen, Jewel. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

1. What is the fundamental New Testament idea 
of the Church? 

2. State as clearly as you can what the Church is, 
as derived from a careful study of the seven 
Greek words which were mentioned. 

3. What are the two New Testament meanings of 
the Church? 

4. Define a Local Church. 

5. How may it be shown that the local church is 
an organization? 

6. What are the New Testament offices of the 
Church? 

7. According to the New Testament usage, do the 
words Bishop and Elder designate the same of- 
fice or different offices? 

8. What are the three forms of Church govern- 
ment? 

9. Do you find, Scriptural ground for any one 
form of government more than the others? 

10. Describe the features of early Church worship. 



Ecclesiology 349 

11. What is Church discipline? 

12. How many forms of Church discipUne are rec- 
ognized and what is the order of procedure in 
each? 

13. What are the ordinances of the Church? 

14. Define baptism. 

15. What is the twofold significance of baptism? 

16. Define the Lord's Supper. 

17. What are some of the names used for this or- 
dinance besides **the Lord's Supper"? 

18. What is the error known as Transubstantiation ? 

19. What is the error known as Consubstantiation ? 

20. What is the Zwinglian view? 

21. What is the Calvinistic view? 

22. What is the twofold mission of the Church? 

23. What is its threefold destiny? 



DOCTRINE NINE: ESCHATOLOGY. 

Topics. 

I. The Dispensations. 

11. The Second Coming of Christ. 

III. The Millennium. 

IV. The Resurrection. 
V. The Judgments. 

VI. The Closing Scenes of Time. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ESCHATOLOGY. 



TOPIC ONE: THE DISPENSATIONS. 

Seven different dispensations are generally recog- 
nized by all prophetic teachers. 

1. The Age of Innocence — from man's Creation to 
his Fall. 

2. The Age of Conscience — from the Fall to the 
Flood, 

3. The Age of Government — from Noah to Lot. 

4. The Patriarchal Age — from Abraham to Moses. 

5. The Age of Law — from Moses to Christ. 

6. The Age of the Church — from Pentecost to the 
Rapture. 

7. The Millennium Age — from the Revelation to 
the loosing of Satan. 

Note : The brief periods between the Crucifixion and Pente- 
cost and between the Rapture and the Revelation are of the 
nature of parentheses. 



354 Outline Studies 

TOPIC TWO: THE SECOND COMING OF 
CHRIST. 

1. Its Place in Scripture. 

a. The Second Coming is mentioned eight times as 
often as the first. 

b. It is the theme of several whole books, e. g., 
Thessalonians, and of certain chapters, Matthew 24; 
Luke 21. 

c. The Old Testament prophets bear witness to it : 
Isa. 45:23; Ezek. 21 125-27; Zech. 14:16. 

d. The angels know of it: Acts i :ii. 

- e. The apostles preached it: Acts 3:19; I Thess. 
4:16; I John 2:28; Jude 14. 

f. Jesus Himself frequently mentions it. 

2. What It Is Not. 

a. It is not death. 

The dead rise when Christ comes: I Thess. 4:16, 17. 
At death we go to Him. 

At the rapture He comes for us: John 14:3. Cer- 
tain verses have no meaning unless we distinguish 
death from His coming: John 21 :23 ; Phil. 3:20. 

Death is an enemy. At the Second Coming we 
overcome death: I Cor. 15:50-57. We are nowhere 
commanded to watch for death, but we are repeatedly 
enjoined to look for His coming. 

b. It is not the descent of the Holy Spirit. 



1 



Eschatology 355 

The Holy Spirit is a distinct person and His coming 
is not the Coming of Christ. Again many of the 
passages referring to the coming of Christ were given 
after Pentecost: Phil. 3:21 ; H Tim. 4:8; I Thess. 4:16, 
etc. 

c. It is not Universal Christianity apart from the 
person of Christ: I Thess. 4.16. 

d. It is not the destruction of Jerusalem. John 21 : 
21; Rev. 22:20, were written after the destruction of 
Jerusalem. 

The Coming of Christ is a comfort ; the destruction 
of Jerusalem is a judgment. 

3. The Signs of the Lord's Coming. 

(i) The last days will be full of peril : II Tim. 3 :i. 

a. Physically — from pestilence, earthquake, famine, 
etc, : Matt. 25. 

b. Socially — anarchy and socialism, lawlessness. 

c. Nationally — wars and rumors of wars. 

d. Religiously-^-seducing spirits and doctrines of 
devils: I Tim. 4:1. 

(2) There will be apostasy of the Church: II 
Thess. 2:3. 

(3) Satan's counterfeits will be circulated : Spirit- 
uaHsm, Christian Science, etc.: I Tim. 4:1. 

(4) The Gospel will be preached in all the world: 
Matt. 24:14. 



356 Outline Studies 

(5) Knowledge will be increased, and facilities 
for travel will be enlarged: Dan. 12:4. 

(6) Riches will be multiplied: James 5:1, 8. 

(7) Israel will be revived as a nation : Ezek. 36:37; 
Acts 15:16; Mark 11:13, ^4> ^8. 

All these signs are general and have been sufficiently 
fulfilled to warrant our expecting the Lord to return 
at any time. 

Note: While Jesus warns us that we are not in darkness that 
that day should overtake us as a thief, yet we are to be on our 
guard about naming days and hours. 

Many prophecies refer to the Revelation of Christ, 
which is the second event in the future. If we see 
indications of their being fulfilled in our day, it is 
evidence that the first event is being crowded that 
much nearer. 

4. The Two Aspects of the Coming of the Lord. 

a. The Rapture. 

Just as the First Coming of the Lord extended over 
a period of thirty years, so the Second Coming in- 
cludes different events. At the First Coming He 
was revealed as a babe in Bethlehem, later as the 
Lamb of God at His Baptism, and as the Redeemer 
at Calvary. At the Second Coming He will first 
appear to His own secretly and suddenly to catch 
them away to the' Marriage Supper of the Lamb : 
Matt. 24:40, 41. 



Eschatology 357 

This appearance is called the Rapture or the Par- 
ousia. 

Note : Immediately after the Rapture there comes a period of 
terrible tribulation known as the day of Jacob's trouble : Jer. 
30:4-7; Zech 13:9. 

b. The Revelation. 

Following the tribulation there is another sudden 
but open manifestation of the Lord in Heaven with 
His accompanying saints and holy angels, for the pur- 
pose of establishing the long-promised Messianic 
Kingdom in the earth. At this time He overthrows 
Satan, binds him for a thousand years, and brings in 
the Millennial Age. 



TOPIC THREE: THE MILLENNIUM. 

1. The Restoration of Israel. 

Israel is to return to the Promised Land and become 
a nation again: Gen. 12:1-3; Deut. 4:30, 31 ; Deut. 30: 
1-6; II Sam. 7:10; Amos 9:11-15; Isa. 27:12, 13; Isa. 
60:1-22; Jer. 16:14-16; Ezek. 20:36-44; Rom. 11:11-27; 
Acts 15 :i3-i6. 

2. The Cleansing of Israel: Ezek. 36:24-28. 

God promises to cleanse Israel finally from all filthi- 
ness and idols, to renew them inwardly and cause 
them to keep His statutes and judgments. 



358 Outline Studies 

At the revelation of Christ when He shall stand 
upon Mount Olivet, Israel, as a nation, will believe 
upon Him and will accept Jesus, the crucified Saviour, 
as their Messiah and Lord: Zech. 12:10-14; Jer. 31:9; 
Jer. 23 :3-6. 

3. The Reorganization of Nations. 

The governments of the earth will be overthrown 
and all peoples will be subservient to the King of 
kings: Dan. 2:44; Micah 4:1, 2; Isa. 49:22, 23; Jer. 
23:5; Luke 1:32; Zech. 14:9; Isa. 24:23; Psa. 90:11; 
Psa. 22:8; Rev. 11 :i5. 

4. The Reestablishing of the Kingdom of David, 

All the Old Testament prophecies that remain un- 
fulfilled of the future glory of Israel find their con- 
summation in the Millennium: Jer. 22:4; Ezek. 37:22- 
28; Zech. 12:8; Acts 15:16. Jerusalem shall become 
a world center and David's Greater Son shall rule not 
only over His own patrimony, but shall be Suzer- 
ain over the whole earth. 

5. The Lifting of the Curse. 

The curse which sin brought upon the whole crea- 
tion of God will be finally Hfted. The effects of the 
great catastrophe of man's fall will be eUminated from 
the earth. The whole earth will be filled with beauty, 
peace, and plenty : Isa. 32 :i5, 35 ; 51 :3 ; Ezek. 36 :33-36 ; 
Isa. II :6-g. 



Eschatology 359 

"No more let sin and sorrow grow 
Nor thorns infest the ground, 
He comes to make His blessings flow 
Far as the curse is found." 



TOPIC FOUR: THE RESURRECTION. 

I. The Certainty of the Resurrection. 

(i) Witnesses from the Old Testament. 
Abraham: Gen. 22:5; Heb. 11:19. 
Job: Job 19:25-27, 
Isaiah: Isa. 26:19. 
Daniel: Dan. 12:2, 13. 
Hosea: Hos. 13:14. 

(2) Instances of the dead being revived. 

Note: This is different from the resurrection; but is cor- 
roborative evidence. 

a. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite: II 
Kings 4:18-37. 

b. The man who was raised by touching Elisha's 
bones: I Kings 13:21. 

c. The raising of Jairus' daughter : Matt. 9 :25. 

d. The raising of the widow's son: Luke 7:15. 

e. Lazarus: John 11:43, 44- 

f. Dorcas: Acts 9:41. 

(3) Our strongest ground for believing in the 
resurrection is found in the rising of Christ from the 



360 Outline Studies 

dead. No fact in history is better attested than this. 
Jesus Himself told of His death and resurrection dur- 
ing His life: John 10:18; Luke 24:1-8. 

2. The Nature of the Resurrection. The believer's 
new body is related to his present one: I Cor. 15. 
It is also like unto Christ's glorious body. It is spirit- 
ual not natural, incorruptible not corruptible, literal 
not figurative. This is the redemption of the body : 
Rom. 8:23. 

3. The Time of the Resurrection. 

(i) The Resurrection of the righteous, or the Res- 
urrection of life, will occur when Christ comes again, 
at the end of this age: I Cor. 15:22, 23; I Thess. 4:14- 
17; John 5:28; Rev. 20:4. 

(2) The Resurrection of the wicked will occur at 
the end of the Millennium: Rev. 20:13. 



TOPIC FIVE: JUDGMENTS. 

I. The Judgment of believers for their sins at Cal- 
vary : John 5 :24 ; Rom. 6 :8 ; 7 :4, showing His esti- 
mation of its character by the terrible penalty inflicted 
on His Son. God judged all sin at Calvary. 

We are identified with Christ in His crucifixion. 
We take our place under condemnation as worthy of 
death before ever we can claim forgiveness and the 
privilege of rising in Him to newness of Hfe. 



Eschatology 361 

2. The Judgment of Rewards for Believers: II 

Tim. 4:8; Rev. 11:18. Believers do not earn their 
salvation, for it is a free gift of God, but after they 
are saved they earn their crow^ns and rewards by faith- 
ful service through the Spirit. 

There are at least five crowns spoken of in the New 
Testament that are bestowed upon the believer. 

a. The incorruptible crown : I Cor. 9 :2^. 

b. The crown of righteousness: II Tim. 4:8. 

c. The crown of life: James 1:12; Rev. 2:10. 

d. The crown of glory : I Pet. 5 '.4. 

e. The crown of gold: Rev. 4:4. 

Rewards are according to the works that are built 
upon the foundation of Christ. It is possible to be 
"saved yet so as by fire" (I Cor. 3 :i5) and be ashamed 
before Christ at His appearing. 

On the other hand, one may build gold, silver and 
precious stones which will abide the testing day and 
bring additional reward. 

3. The Judgment of the living nations. 

Since nations have their existence in this world only, 
it is necessary that they be judged here. In a sense 
God is always judging the nations by ordaining great 
calamities or blessings in accordance with their na- 
tional deserts. But there is to be a final judgment 



362 Outline Studies 

of the nations before the judgment seat of Christ: 
Matt. 25. 

4. The Judgment of the wicked dead. 

This is the great day of judgment that is spoken of 
most frequently in Scripture and that occurs after the 
Millennium. It is called the day of wrath and revela- 
tion of the righteous judgment of God: Rom. 2:5; the 
day of destruction, etc. 

The saints will sit with Christ, who will administer 
this judgment: John 5:22. All men will be gathered 
together, both small and great, the quick and the 
dead: Rev. 20:12; II Tim. 4:1. God's books will 
be opened: Dan. 7:10, and He will judge in righteous- 
ness the actions, words, and thoughts of men : Eccle. 
12:14; Matt. 12:36, 37; Jude 15; I Cor. 4:5. 

Note: To the above are often added the judgment upon 
the race in Adam, the judgment of self by believers, the judg- 
ment of angels by the saints, and the judgment of Satan by God. 



TOPIC SIX: THE CLOSING SCENES OF 
TIME. 

I. Satan is loosed for a little season. 

After the Millennium, there is a final uprising of the 
forces of evil against God and His Christ. 

Satan is overthrown and cast into the lake of fire. 
Then follows the last resurrection, that of the wicked 



Eschatology 363 

dead; the judgment of the great white throne; and the 
casting of death and hell into the lake of fire: Rev. 
20:11-15. 

2. The New Heaven and the New Earth. 

The old order of creation has been destroyed by 
fire, and God fulfils His promise of making all things 
new: II Pet. 3.12, 13. 

The New Jerusalem comes down from God out of 
Heaven and becomes the tabernacle of God with men : 
Rev. 21 :2, 3. 

3. God's revelation to men of His plan for the ages 
is nearing its close. We know that in ages to come 
He will shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His 
kindness toward us through Christ Jesus : Eph. 2 \y. 
In I Cor. 15 :24 we see the ringing down of the curtain 
upon the great drama of the world's history and then 
Cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the 
Kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have 
put down all rule and all authority and power, and the 
Son also Himself shall be subject unto Him that put 
all things under Him, that God may be all and in all : 
I Cor. 15:24-28. 

Thus our Bibles begin with *'In the beginning God/' 
and the verse that looks farthest into the dim future 
closes with "God all and in all." 

^'Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such 



3^4 



Outline Studies 



things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in 
peace, without spot, and blameless": II Pet. 3:14. 



QUESTIONS FOR STUDY. 

Name the different dispensations. 
Show the position of the Second Coming of 
Christ in Scripture. 

Give the erroneous explanations of the Second 
Coming of Christ. 

Enumerate the signs of the Lord's Coming. 
Differentiate between the Rapture and the 
Revelation. 

Give the prominent characteristics of the Mil- 
lennium. 

Describe the two resurrections. 
Name and describe the four principal judgments. 
Mention the events that follow the Millennium, 



1 



^ 



* 



< 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: July 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson ParK Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



I 

I 

i 



